iWill Do Anything For You
by Shadower-Sam
Summary: Griffin was Sam's boyfriend, until he returned to Carly. Now, Sam and Freddie would have to pair up as a couple for a competition, much to their unhappiness. Would they do anything to win? Or would they realize their feelings for each other? SEDDIE FTW
1. iHate Valentine's Day

Sam's POV

"Ugh... Valentine's Day..." I whined. "The worst day of the year..."

"Why?" Fredloser startled me from behind. "It's a great day for romance, friendship and all the greatest things in the world!"

I glared at him. "Worst. Day. Of. The. Year."

"Hey kids," Carly skipped over. "It's Valentine's Day!"

"We know..." Fredlimbs and I whined at the same time. Look who's whining now.

Carly raised her eyebrow. "Why the simultaneous 'we know'?"

"Valentine's Day is just not my type of holiday," I sighed. "Oh, it's not even a holiday!"

Carly rolled her eyes. "What about you, Freddie?"

"Him," he expressed as he glared at the boy beside Gibby. "Jimmy..."

"Yeah..." Carly looked at the boy with dreamy eyes as she swayed from side to side. "He's cute, isn't he?"

"Nyehhh..." Fredcustard rolled his eyes in contempt.

I smirked as I placed my arm on his shoulder. "Carly will never love you."

He looked at me while my smirk stayed on my face. "Sam Puckett, you-"

The bell rang. I patted his shoulder as I walked away to class. Ugh... class...

**Freddie's POV**

"Fredward Benson?" the teacher called out my name.

I raised my hand and smiled, but the teacher didn't bother smiling back at all. Should have known...

"Samantha Puckett?" that was the third time the teacher called out her name. Where is she anyway? I thought she was heading to class after clearing out her locker of books. Technically, it was just an empty locker filled with notebooks, or should I say 'doodle books'. "Samantha Puckett?"

"Err... she's in the..." I tried to come up with an excuse for her.

"I'm here," she burst into the room heroicly. "Sorry, I was in the washroom. Ooh... those seafood got me there."

I fixed my eyes on her while she sat down beside me. "Hey, you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright," she smirked.

"Then..." I tried to clarify.

She turned away from me and brought out a 'doodle book' from her bag. Sometimes, I wondered why she would even need them. Perhaps she just wanted to avoid getting into trouble with the teacher for not taking notes...

"Hey, what're you doodling?" I peeped over at her book.

"It's none of your business, nub," she snapped, then bent towards me to twist my arm before the teacher notices it. "Now get back to your dorky world and step out of mine."

I winced from the pain, but shrugged it off as the teacher turned around to continue with her lesson.

"Class," he started the lesson as he pointed at what was on the white board. "I'm sure you have read your notes yesterday, haven't you?"

The class whined, then took the stack of notes out.

"Okay, as all of you know, there will be a test next week," the teacher continued. "I want you to take note of topics 29 and 32 as they will be the topic that the test will be focusing on."

I looked at Sam, who was still doodling as if the noise in the classroom did not bother her. As I took another peek, I realized that she wasn't just doodling. She was drawing two people in the middle of a heart shape. One of them seemed to come with the name of Griffin.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention to you. Ever since the start of the year, Griffin has been flirting with her for an entire week. At first, Sam actually seemed disturbed by his sudden weird behavior, but she decided to become his girlfriend when he actually confessed to her. When she told us that she had a boyfriend, we laughed for the entire night. But when she actually showed us her boyfriend, it all made sense.

"Is that Griffin you're drawing?" I chuckled. "And that girl beside him must be you, huh?"

"Shut your pothole, Nubface," she snapped.

I turned back towards the teacher and continued listening to my boring lesson. Seriously, this teacher's no fun at all. I would rather have Ms Briggs teach me the origins of bagpipes than this guy.

As soon as class ended, I skipped down to the hallway, hoping to ask Carly out before the day actually ends. It's Valentine's Day, the day when she will never turn me down no matter what. Even though she would probably just tell me that it's just another Friendship Day, it matters alot to me that she lets me be her Valentine.

"Carly," I called out while she was at her locker's. She was humming a little tune and smiling dreamily. I was still kinda far away from her though, but I knew she could hear me. "Will you be my-"

"Oh, hey Freddie," Jimmy jumped out from nowhere. "Do you have a Valentine?"

For one second there, I thought he was interested in me. Seeing the card in his left hand, a bouquet of flowers in his right and a box of chocolates in his bag, I realized that he must already have a girl in mind.

"Err, not at the moment, but I was about to ask-"

"Oh, that's sad," Jimmy placed an arm on my shoulder as if to comfort me. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye!"

He walked towards the girl of my dreams and gave her the flowers. Naturally, she giggled in a 'Carly' kind of way and they hugged. They. Hugged.

_Hugged._

Why did they hug?

"Hey Fredwina," Sam came from behind. "How's it going between you and- Woah... I didn't see _that _coming."

"Me neither," my jaws were open wide. Valentine's Day, who cares anymore?


	2. iDon't Want to Go For a Triple Date

Sam's POV 

"Hey Sam," Carly turned around from her little embrace to acknowledge me and Fredmaniac. "How's it going? Has Griffin agreed to be your Valentine yet?"

I looked at her, then looked back at Fredembarassment. "Er, he popped the question before I could even say 'Valentine'. So, how's it going with you and that boy over there? Wait, that's Jimmy, right?"

"Yeah," she giggled. "He asked me out."

"Okay," I snapped my fingers in front of Freducation in hopes of snapping him out of his trance. "So, what about having a double date tonight?"

Fredly glared at me and frowned.

"Let's make that triple," I smirked. "You can bring Leslie on our triple date if you like. I heard that she still wants to keep in contact with you despite your little game with her the last time."

He glared even deeper.

"Alright, that's set," Carly exclaimed. "We'll all bring our dates tonight, I'll bring Jimmy, Sam, you bring Girffin and Freddie brings Leslie."

"I haven't even asked her yet," he said.

"Then, you'll call her," Carly smirked. "I'm sure she would agree to it."

I grinned at his misery. This is going to be _so_ much fun...

**Freddie's POV**

I took out my phone and dialed Leslie's number reluctantly, while Carly skips around, excited about the triple date that night.

"Hello," I called. "Is this Leslie?"

"Yeah," she exclaimed. "Freddie? What did you call me for?"

I looked at Carly for some advice before I asked, "Leslie, can you come for a Valentine's Day date with me?"

"Er... Well," she hesitated.

_Please say no, please say no..._

"Sure, no problem!" she said. "I'll be there."

I sighed. "Oh, ma- I mean, that's great... I'll pick you up in the evening."

"Alright!" she replied enthusiastically. "See you!"

"Bye..." I said while the girls were skipping happily, overjoyed that they had dates on Valentine's Day. Oh the irony, and to think that I sympathized with Sam while she was complaining all about Valentine's Day this morning...

I looked at Jimmy, who was standing at his lockers, constantly winking at Carly, then I looked back at Sam, who was biting some meat of that piece of Fried Chicken.

"So, where are we going next?" I asked.

"Where are we going, you ask?" Sam said as though it was a stupid question. "We're going home of course! We've to get ready for our dates for tonight!"

"Oh, yeah," I gave her a look that said I-don't-really-want-to-go. "But I don't really feel like going..."

They shot me a look, then Carly placed her hands on my shoulders. "Please go, Freddie. For me?"

I shook my head, "That doesn't work on me anymore."

Sam rolled her eyes and pushed Carly away from me, before shooting a death glare. "You better be there tonight or you're going to become date in a wheelchair tomorrow."

I nodded in terror. That girl can be real tough sometimes, especially if today's not her day.

"We'll see you later then, Freddie," Carly smiled. "Bye!"

I smiled in return, but not because I was happy, but it was more of a friendly gesture. Ugh... I can't believe I will be the one who ends up hating this day for the rest of my life.

**Sam's POV**

I decided to get ready for my date tonight. What? It's not everyday that you get to date a hot guy like Griffin.

Sitting on my bed as I thought of what to pick out from my awful closet, I decided to give Carly a call. "Hey Carls."

"Hey Sam," she greeted bubbly like she always does. "What's up?"

"Oh, I need some, you know, closet advice?" it came out more like a question than an answer.

"Oh, sure," I could imagine her smiling at the other end of the line. "What do you have there?"

I secured my phone between my shoulder and my head as I rummaged through my closet trying to look for something appropriate to wear tonight. "Erm... Let's see... I have... nothing."

"Nothing?" she confirmed.

"Nothing," I replied bluntly.

"What about those clothes that you wore last time on your dates with Pete?" Carly _just_ had to mention Pete.

I still can't believe that guy dumped me for a soccer player. He said 'She kicks harder than you do' and just left with that chick. On Valentine's Day. That's why I always hated this day. Until today, of course.

"_Those_ clothes? Ugh... My mom dated a school teacher last week and insisted she wore my clothes just so she could look 'cute and innocent' in front of him. In less than 10 minutes, she tore my blouse in half and broke the zip on my skirt," I replied.

"Oh..." she said, disappointed that her plan couldn't be carried out. "Then, what about that dress you wore during the iCarly awards?"

"Don't even mention it," I stated. "After destroying my blouse and skirt, she went on to try the dress. This time, she didn't tear it, but she soiled the dress while having a bucket of fried chicken. Apparently, that teacher date of hers kept talking about how you can actually get chili out of a bottle without even using your hands that my mom actually tried it out. And guess what happened."

Carly gasped. "She lost control of the bottle and spilled chili on the dress?"

"No," I exclaimed. "She squirted the chili into a female customer's face and that lady poured coffee onto my dress! You know how hard it is to get coffee stains out of clothing!"

"Caffeine has his own way of making deep impressions..." Carly joked nervously.

"Carly! This is no time to joke around!" I literally shouted into the phone. "This is serious chiz we're talking about! We need ideas!"

There was a short period of silence between us. Then, Carly broke it with a "Hmm... Nope, I got nothing."

I sighed. "What are we going to do? ... Oh, wait, Carly, don't you have a few dresses in your closet that you could lend me for tonight?"

"Sorry, most of my dresses have been sent for dry cleaning," she replied apologetically. "Why don't you go get some clothes for tonight?"

"Nah, I spend most of my allowance on honey baked ribs last week," I thought about the deliciously baked ribs that I had... Hmmm... It was heaven. "And I still need the rest of the money for my lunch for the rest of the month!"

"Why don't I borrow you some money?" she asked. She's such a great friend.

My eyes glinted with excitement. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied. "Since I won't be able to join you for the shopping."

"What?" my world was tumbling down. My best friend can't shop with me? "Why?"

"I have to get ready for tonight too," she pleaded.

I groaned. "Okay, fine. I'll just get someone else to shop with me."

"What about Freddie?" Carly suggested.

"No way," I exclaimed. "He's too much of a nerd to judge."

She giggled. "But he can treat you to smoothies when you crave for snacks."

"True," I thought about it. "He's like a walking snack bar whenever you feel like munching on some food."

"It's settled then," Carly stated. "I'll help you ask him, then I'll text you back."

I raised my eyebrow. "I can ask him myself."

"But you'll probably threaten to bite his head off if he doesn't come with you," she said seriously. "I think he appreciates the gentler approach."

"Fine," I replied. "See you later, Carls."

"See you," she giggled. "Bye!"

I sighed. "Bye..."

Ugh... Valentine's Day...


	3. iDon't Know

Sam's POV

Minutes after Carly and I ended our conversation, my phone rang again. This time, it was a text message, like Carly promised.

"_Freddie agreed, he's coming to pick you up now._" It wrote.

Great, and now I have a dork who's probably not good at fashion advice. But it doesn't matter anyway, at least I can grab a smoothie whenever I'm hungry or get a snack and I don't even have to pay for them!

"Samantha!" mom's voice boomed through the entire apartment. "Your boyfriend is here!"

My boyfriend? Could Girffin have come earlier than I thought? Oh no, this is a disaster, I'm not even ready yet! Ugh... This can't be happening!

There came a knock at my door. "Sam?"

"Gimme a minute, Gri-" Wait a second, he sounds familiar, but not as manly as Griffin. "Freddie?"

"Yes, Princess Puckett," he said sarcastically. "Carly told me to come pick you up for a little shopping. Man, you girls take lots of time to doll up."

"Well, thanks for the compliment, Fredsnap," I opened the door. "Come on, let's go."

I can't believe mom actually thought Fredsloppy was my boyfriend. She should have known that I have better taste than that.

"Hey Benson," my mom pulled him back before he left the house. "You better not try anything funny with my daughter here or you'll get it from me."

"Mom," I rolled my eyes. "Fredpus is not my boyfriend."

"Well, he sure looks the part," she surrendered. "Kiddo, don't forget to bring an umbrella."

I looked at her as she tries to be a 'good parent'. "I'm not bringing one."

"Okay," she shrugged it off and went back to her good ol' telly. "Be back before ten or I'll lock the doors."

"Don't worry," I yelled back. "I'll pick the lock."

We soon set off to the mall. Ahh... The nice smell of freedom... It's puzzling why they don't make apartments out of these.

"So, where do we start?" Fredpatience asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "How about a nice dress? Or a skirt or something?"

"Are you sure you're gonna wear a skirt for your date?"

I looked at him. "Why not? Griffin likes girly girls."

"But do you like wearing skirts and dresses?"

"What's your point?" I asked.

"If Griffin likes you for you, he wouldn't mind if you wear a t-shirt and pants for your date," he replied.

I smirked. "Don't go acting like a love guru, Frednub. I've had more experience than you in these battlefields."

He rolled his eyes.

**Freddie's POV**

I looked at my watch, then back at the vicious blonde. "Are you done yet?"

"Hey, I asked you to come and help me pick a dress. Not to whine, woman. Now come and help me."

"Fine," I groaned as I searched through the racks of clothes for 'the perfect dress'. She had described it to me as a white satin halter dress, which I have no idea what that is. So, I decided to reduce my search terms to 'white', 'satin' and 'dress'. Ugh... You have no idea how difficult it is to live with this.

"How about this?" she held up a white dress and placed it onto her body as though she was wearing it. "How do I look?"

"No good," I replied flatly, probably because of the mood I was in and the time. Oh man, we're going to be late. Then, I found a blue dress that would compliment her eyes perfectly. "Here. How about this one?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at me. I signaled for her to go try it on, but she seemed reluctant.

"Oh, come on," I said. "We're going to be late. Just go try this on, will ya?"

"No way," she replied. "Anything you pick can't be good."

"Trust me, okay?" I looked at her pleading.

She was hesitant.

"Go," I pushed her away into the fitting room. "Now get in there and change or I'll eat these persian chocolates."

"You wouldn't dare," she shouted from inside.

"Yes I would," I replied, smug.

The conversation became a soft shuffling noise coming from the fitting room.

"Are you done yet?" I shouted, hoping she could hear me.

The door opened slowly, making a creaking sound as her face was seen peering out of the room. "Is there anyone else there?"

"Nope," I replied. "The coast is clear."

"Okay," she walked out of the fitting room.

"Whoa..." I looked at her, surprized at the sudden change of style. "I guess I was right about this dress. It sure looks good on you."

She blushed a little, but tried to hide it with her snide remark. "Don't get too used to this, Fredfish. We're going to be late!"

"Oh yeah," I checked my watch. 10 minutes more to the date! "Come on, let's get this dress paid."

**Sam's POV**

"Sam," Girffin approached me while I was at the door. "I can't believe this! You look beautiful!"

"Nyeh nyeh nyeh-nyeh-nyeh," he imitated Griffin's actions lamely.

I rolled my eyes at him, then turned back towards Griffin. "Thanks, sweetie. You look awesome too."

"Come on, let's go," he offered as I hooked my arm around his. Leslie soon appeared beside Fredweird and suggested the same treatment.

"So, where's Carly?" I asked. "She said she was coming-"

"With who?" Grffin interrupted.

I looked at him doubtfully. "Erm... Jimmy?"

"Carly's dating Jimmy?" he chuckled. "That guy's not even her type!"

"Who cares?" I smiled fakely. "As long as she's happy with him..."

"Well, someone ought to care..."

I thought I sensed some jealousy... Does he still like Carly? "Grffin, I need you to tell me the truth. Do you-"

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" Carly came through the doors and sat beside Griffin, while Jimmy sat beside her. Leslie and Jimmy were seated next to each other, so Fredcrazy and I were seated beside each other.

"No worries, Carls," I replied. "We just arrived."

"So," Freddison stood up. "What do you guys want for dinner? I'll go get some for you."

Everyone shouted out their orders, one after another, then it came my turn to order some food. "I want a Blueberry Blast smoothie, one large fries, some pretzels and one packet of chicken nuggets."

"You want what?" he couldn't catch what I said.

"I said, one Blueberry Blast, one large fries, some pretzels and a packet of chicken nuggets," I repeated.

"Sorry, but can you repeat it again?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll just buy it myself. But you're still paying for it."

"Fine," he sighed. "Anything else for you guys?"

"Nope."

"We're good."

"It's cool."

So, Fredjuice and I headed over to the counter for our orders, leaving the group at the table.

**Freddie's POV**

It was a disaster. No, not Sam's appetite. When we headed back to the table after we have ordered our food, we saw something that we shouldn't have seen at all.

"Oh my-" Sam gasped. "Carly? Griffin?"

"Jimmy? Leslie?" I dropped the food tray. "What's going on? Why are the four of you sucking on each other's faces?"

The group stopped all their activity as they turned their heads toward us.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Carly apologized. "It just happened so fast. I only realized that we were kissing after three minutes-"

"And you guys didn't stop?" It was clear she was upset. I mean, a guy cheating on her? That wasn't the first time after all, but after all these dates, she was still hurt that her best friend got what she never had. "I can't believe you."

"I'm sorry," Carly looked guilty.

She frowned. "Not you, Carly."

I tried to hold Sam back before she hurt anyone as she narrowed her eyes and gave Griffin a death glare. "Why did you cheat on me? How?"

"I'm really sorry, babe," he said. "But I've really thought it through and the one I love is-"

"I get it," she placed her hands over her ears. "I'll just... I'll be going now."

Leslie looked at me apologetically while Jimmy felt no guilt at all. "Freddie, I-"

"I'll go check on Sam," I was still shocked. Carly and Griffin? Jimmy and Leslie? What in the world was happening behind our backs? I don't even know anymore...

But I do know one thing: Sam is more upset than I am.


	4. iAm Your Frienemy

Sam's POV

I just ran. Into the streets. Into the building where I found security. Nope, not my house.

Bushwell Plaza.

I felt water on my face. Lots of it. It was streaming down my face as much as gravity could pull them closer to the center of the earth. What were those? Oh yeah, I was crying.

The wind blew at my skirt. It was breezy here at the fire escape. The music from my PearPod was loud enough to overwhelm the bustling urban serenade, but my mind was elsewhere, floating in the wind along with the calm breeze.

Looking down at the bustling city, I remembered the time when I almost fell off the building with Carly. I can't believe that we were fighting over such a trivial matter that day. I let out a little laugh over our stupidity.

Carly Shay. My best friend. Griffin was her ex, and they broke up because of his extreme obsession with PeeWee Babies. But she never learned to let him go, probably because she was still head over heels for his sweet personality, despite his crazy obsession. Me, on the other hand, never minded his little craze. I too have my obsessions, like my meat cravings or MMA fights.

I can't believe we're breaking up. On Valentine's Day. On the day when I thought that everything will have a change...

I remembered last year's Valentine's Day. Pete and I were supposed to go for our date at the beach, and he promised me that he would bring my favorite food along for our date. But he never showed up. Intead, his best friend Felix came along and told me that Pete wanted to break up. On Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day the year before was fine, until my mom brought in her new boyfriend Jacob to our house and I ended up not being able to go for my date with Louis, my former boyfriend. He broke up with me on the following Sunday.

I laughed at my train of thoughts. With all the above examples, I could have easily believed that I contracted some kind of disease that repels guys on Valentine's Day, or that I've been cursed at birth to break up with every single guy on this particular day. So much for everything...

I felt something on my cheek again. I tried to wipe it off from my face, but the more I try, the wetter my face gets. Soon, I felt my face covered in a blanket of water. Yes, Sam Puckett is crying. The almighty Sam Puckett is succumbing to her own emotions.

While I try to wipe those tears away, I felt someone beside me. I turned to my side to find a packet of tissue paper offered to me.

It was Freddie.

"Freddie?" the tears which almost stopped falling started plummeting from my face as I hugged my best friend. My sobs became bawling. My eyes were misty from my wailing. My voice was coarse and I could hardly say anything.

"Sam, it's okay," he tried to comfort me. "I'm here. I'm here."

"Why...? Why?"

"It's alright, Sam," he placed his arms on my back. "It's going to be okay..."

"Why must it always be me?" I was wailing at this point of time. "Griffin... He was... he was cheating on me... While we were queuing for food... Why? How? Him and Carly... Why?"

He was silent, but he patted my back like I was a baby.

"Leslie... Leslie and Jimmy..." I pulled away from his embrace and looked him in the eyes. "She cheated on you..."

"It's fine, Sam," he said calmly and softly. "I never liked her anyway."

I started bawling again as I turned to hug him again. I needed some comfort from the things that happened today. And Freddie was the perfect guy to pour out all my troubles to. "Why did we go for the triple date? If we didn't organize it, they wouldn't meet each other again and they wouldn't get back together."

**Freddie's POV**

It was cold out at the fire escape. The music from her PearPod was playing softly, but just loud enough to drown the urban traffic symphony. She was crying in my arms.

"Why did he have to break my heart?" she cried. "On Valentine's Day...?"

Valentine's Day. The day when lovers confess. The day when couples celebrate their most romantic moments. The day when singles yearn for someone to love. The day when Carly is always asked out by countless guys, but I never got to date her.

"Valentine's Day really isn't our day, is it?" I let out a laugh.

"Why do you love Carly so much?" she asked in the middle of her sobs.

"She's... pretty, smart, cute, nice... She's the perfect girlfriend," I stated. It made her sobs even louder. "But you're not bad too."

She wailed. "Why? Why does everyone choose Carly over me?"

"Well..." I tried to said something, but I decided against it. "Sam, don't compare yourself with Carly. You guys are different from each other. Hush now..."

"I don't even know how we became friends," she calmed down a little. "We're clearly two very different people. She's pretty and smart, but I'm aggressive and vicious. Why is there world so unfair?"

"Sometimes, opposites attract, Sam," I stated. "The one you're different from may be the one who is the most alike to you. And then, you'll be friends."

She moved away.

"What's wrong."

"Too close, nub," she stated. "This just isn't right."

I raised my eyebrow. "What isn't?"

"We're not supposed to talk like this, Freddie," she kept her distance away from me. "We're supposed to be fighting and... and... and were supposed to try to kill each other. And... and-"

"We're friends, Sam," I smiled.

She frowned. "No, we're not. We're enemies."

"Frienemies," I corrected her. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Come on, let's get you home."

"I don't wanna go home," she clenched her fists. "I wanna go to the beach."

"The beach?" I confirmed.

She nodded and stuck her hand out.

I looked at her, but she seemed determined not to let our eyes meet. "What?"

"Keys," she instructed.

"No, you're not driving there in this condition," I exclaimed. "I'll drive you there."

"Just let me be, Fredbutt," she snapped. "I don't even know why we're talking like this. Just... give me the keys."

I frowned. "No. I'm driving you there if you're even going."

She breathed in deeply, realizing that she has no other choice. I can't possibly let her drive in this condition. If she gets into an accident, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

"Come on, let's go," I pulled her along with me, but she pushed my hand away.

"I can walk on my own," she snapped, eyes still on the ground.

"So, which beach do you wanna go to, Frenemy?"


	5. iDid Something Bad

Sam's POV

"You know, someone once told me that I should give up on Carly," Fredlump exclaimed.

I looked at him intently. "What?"

"And she told me that Carly will never love me, no matter how much I try to get her to notice me," he replied. "I believe it's time you gave up on a certain someone, Sam."

"You make it sound as if it's something easy, dork," I scoffed. "You should know better than me that Rome wasn't built in one day."

"That's why they built it early," he stated.

My eyes landed on the clouds in the distance. "The clouds look weird today."

He could sense that I was avoiding the topic, "Yeah. You know what? That one looks like you."

"Which one?" my eyes scanned through the sky.

"That one," he said, pointing at a small cloud that was out of the group. "He's standing out from the crowd."

I smiled. "In a good way or a bad way?"

"Both ways," he replied. "He's different from the rest. Stronger, lighter, more carefree. You see how he's all dark and gloomy and ready to strike lightning upon you, even though it's so small?"

We laughed.

"That one looks like you," I decided to tease him a little as well.

He looked at me as he raised his eyebrow.

"He's the only cloud that has a flock of other clouds around him, but refuses to join the crowd," I said. "Oh, look, he's only interested in following the cloud in front of him."

"Yeah," he replied. "I guess it really looks like me, doesn't it?"

"Carly will never love you," I poked fun at him.

He let out a laugh. "And Griffin wil-"

The smile disappeared from my lips. "Never love me."

"Erm, maybe we should be heading home now," he stated. "The sky looks like it's gonna rain any time soon."

"Yeah, maybe," I replied.

"Come on," he smiled as he held out his hand to pull me up.

I smiled in return, but it wasn't enough to hide the fact that I was hurt. No, it's not Fredbag's fault. It's Griffin. But really, if I was that cloud Fredbag described just now, then I would definitely try to strike Griffin with some lightning. Maybe that will make him realize that it was his loss to dump me.

But I'm getting over him.

Getting.

Over.

**Freddie's POV**

It's odd, really. After listening to what Sam said and helping her with her determination to give up on Griffin, I still can't give up on Carly myself. So much for determination.

"Freddie bear!" my mom yelled from the hallway, even though I was only a arm's length distance away from her. "Where did you go?"

"I was out with Sam, mom," I replied.

"God," she gasped. "Are you going out with her?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, mom."

Strangely, she seemed even more tense. "Why were you hanging out with her, then?"

"Sam was unhappy," I replied. "She broke up with Griffin."

"That bad boy Carly was dating?" she asked.

"Well, she found that he still had feelings for Carly, even while they were dating," I stated. "She was really upset, so I tried to comfort her."

She relaxed for a while, then tensed up again. "Where's Samantha?"

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask," I remembered. "Can Sam stay here for the night?"

"Sure, of course," she smiled. "But why?"

"She felt awkward going to Carly's and her mom forgot to pay the water bill again," I stated.

She grinned.

"She'll be coming up soon," I smiled. "She said that she had something to attend to before she can sleep tonight."

"Oh, well, then let's clean up our guest room a little to welcome her, shall we?" she asked.

For some reason, mom has been really nice to Sam. She made her bed for her, offered some supper for her, cooked up bacon for her. She even offered to make her breakfast the next morning. What's going on?

"Mom," I called. "Why are you being so nice to Sam all of a sudden?"

"Yeah," Sam exclaimed. "You've been freaking me out with your sudden hospitality, lady. Tell me what you want, lady. You want to get rid of someone? 'Cause my uncle is-"

She smiled. "No, Samantha. I just thought that it would be nice of me to let you stay in my house since your little... ordeal yesterday."

"Well, if it's your sympathy that's being offered to me, I'm going to have to go now," Sam replied. "Sam Puckett ain't needing any."

"Oh, no, Samantha," she tried to explain. "I didn't mean it like that, I meant to say that it would be great to have you here in our house since you have no where else to go."

Sam was still putting her guard up, ready to leave if she started behaving weirdly again.

"Anyway, where did you go last night, Samantha?" my mom asked.

"Oh yeah," I remembered she said she had to go 'settle some stuff'. "Where did you go?"

"I was... er... I went to-" she was cut off by my phone's ringtone.

It was Carly. "Carly?"

"Freddie?" she called. "Did you know what Sam did?"

I looked at Sam's guilt-ridden face. "No, what did she do?"

"She broke into Griffin's house last night and put a snapping turtle in his toilet!" Carly exclaimed. "He called me this morning when he realized he had been bitten by a turtle!"

"What?" I giggled a little, but held back my laughter. "That's just bizzare. Are you sure Sam did that?"

"Who else would?" she asked. "That turtle can't possibly swim into Griffin's toilet all on his own, can he? Besides, you do remember what Sam did to the teacher's toilet last year, right?"

I laughed. Who wouldn't remember? "Alright, I'll have a talk with her later."

"She's there with you?" she asked.

"Well," I tried to explain. "She..."

"I'm coming over," she replied. Then, I heard a sharp knock on the door.

This is going to be messy...


	6. iAm On Her Side

Sam's POV

I heard a loud knock on the door. It sounded urgent. Judging from the phone call Benson received just now, I'm thinking this has something to do with me.

"Open the door, Freddie!" I heard a familiar voice coming from behind the door.

"Err... Okay," he replied, standing up from the table and walking towards the door. He signalled for me to hide in his room, so I decided to make a run for it before something bad happens to me somehow. "Coming..."

I ran into his room, closed the door tight and hid under the bed. It was a good place to hide.

"Where's Sam?" Carly asked. I could hear her voice clearly. Obviously, this room isn't very soundproof...

"What are you talking about? Sam isn't here," Fredly lied.

"Don't lie to me Freddie," she stated. "I just want to know why she did that to Griffin. "Now, where is she?"

My heart was thumping so fast. Not because I was afraid to get caught, but because of the tension in the situation.

"I repeat," she emphasized. "Where is Sam? Is she hiding in your room?"

"No, she's not hiding in my room," Argh... Fudgeface isn't very good at lying. I should teach him a few tricks some time.

I could hear Carly turning the doorknob. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "Sam? Are you in here? Sam?"

I tried to keep my breathing pace normal, but it was really stuffy under Freddo's bed.

"Sam?" I could see her feet at the bedside. I turned to check on my position, to make sure that she won't see my feet too. "Sam? I know you're in here. Come out!"

"I told you, she's not in my room," Fredcreep stated. Yeah, as if that would help.

"Mrs Benson," Carly was desperate. "You wouldn't lie, would you? Is Sam in your house?"

Beads of pespiration trickled down my cheeks.

"What happened, Carly?" Mrs B started. "Why are you so bent on finding Samantha?"

"She pranked Griffin," Carly replied.

"Oh dear," Mrs B continued. "That was not nice of her, but I don't think she meant any harm with it. Maybe you can go to look for her at her house? She may be there."

Carly seemed to have calmed down. "Okay, Mrs Benson. Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied. This woman can be so unpredictable sometimes.

As soon as I heard the door close, I escaped from that burning hideout and breathed in deeply for a nice gulp of air. Fresh air never smelt so good. I ran out into the living room and continued having my breakfast. I wonder why Carly never noticed the three sets of breakfast on the table... Hmm...

"Mrs B," I looked at her curiously. "Why did you lie to Carly?"

"That's a good question, my dear," she replied, sending chills up my spine with her intimacy. "The truth is that, I never liked her anyway."

I looked at her, confused. Carly's so perfect, she's pretty, she's smart. Why wouldn't Mrs B like her?

"Oh no," Freddie looked at his watch. "We're gonna be late for school."

"Chillax, Benson," I sank into my chair, "Just ditching school once or twice isn't gonna be that bad."

"No," he rebutted. "It's really bad. I'll get a bad grade and can't go to a good university. Then, I would be stuck on the streets with all those hobos sneezing snot into your face."

I stood up from the table and went over to the Benson's couch. "Well, if you're going, go ahead without me."

"What? Why?" he asked.

"I can't be in school with Carly yappin' on how I pranked her boyfriend!"

"You really did that?" he sounded upset. "Why?"

I frowned. "Do you really not know? That boy crushed my heart with a truck, smashed the flat remains against the wall and juiced it with a blender, all in just 15 minutes! I was doing him a little favor of making him feel less guilty about what he did. What's wrong with that?"

"I can't believe you Sam," he was shouting already. "After what we talked about last night, I thought you could see things in a new perspective. But I guess not."

"Fredward Benson!" Mrs B stood up from the table. "How dare you yell at a girl! Didn't I tell you never to yell at girls?"

He sighed. "But mom, you heard what she said!"

"No buts, young man," she came over to my side. "Samantha was hurt last night and it's natural that she reacts this way."

"Hurting someone is not natural," he argued. "What if... what if the turtle bit him somewhere else?"

"Whoever hurts Samantha deserves being treated this way," Mrs B defended. "Now, get to school before you're late."

He groaned, then picked up his blue backpack and headed out the door.

"Thanks, Mrs B," I said. "Well, I think I better get going."

"To where?" she asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "Somewhere where I'll probably be able to forget everything."

She smiled. "I know you'll be able to start over, Samantha."

I smiled awkwardly. "It's Sam."

"I'll try," she replied. "Now, take care. Call me if you need anything."

"Don't worry, I will," I said. "Bye."


	7. iHave My Weak Spots Too

Sam's POV

I stopped my tracks as I came face-to-face to a large brick wall. It was tall and majestic and there were birds' nests on the side where the tree's branch just happens to reach over.

Perfect target.

I reached for my backpack and pulled out a can of spray paint. I stared at the wall for a few seconds. Then formed 'L' shapes with my fingers, positioned them in front of my eyes so that they looked like they framed the wall.

After getting a satisfied angle, I shook the can of spray paint and started with my masterpiece...

"Hey!" I heard a deep voice from behind me. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh-oh, gotta run," I grinned and took flight.

It felt great to be back to being rebellious. Ever since Griffin and I started dating, he made me promise that I stop the vandalism and stuff. I guess being a bad boy means that your girlfriend has got to be a good and perfect girl in order for the relationship to work.

"Run, run, run, as fast as you can," I giggled. "You can't catch me, just look at how fast I am!" I taunted them with one of my favorite nursery rhymes. Who says the delicious can't be rebellious?

Aaahh... The cool morning breeze. It's been a long time since I ran against the wind and felt my hair floating behind my back. But after running down a few streets and dodging some busy people who were hooked onto caffeine, I realized that the run was taking its toll on me. I turned my head behind to see if those dudes were still chasing, but thankfully, they weren't.

I turned into a corner and panted. Heavily. I took a peep at the time on my cell. God, I hadn't realized what time it was.

1.23pm.

No wonder I felt like my energy had been drained while I was running. Time sure flies by fast when you're having a whale of a time.

"There you are!" the cop spotted me. "You can't escape now! You are surrounded!"

I turned around to find that I have been caught in a dead end. I looked up at the buildings in front and behind me. There were no escape routes anywhere. "Ugh... Cut the drama. Just bring me to juvie and get this over and done with."

**Freddie's POV**

"What happened?" I asked. "How... Why?"

"Look, just keep your jaws shut before I rip your head off your body and boil your bones in acid!" she snapped.

I crossed my fingers and placed them over my mouth.

"Now, let's go have some fun!" she exclaimed.

"But you just came out from juvie!" I stated. "Shouldn't you tell your mom about it or something?"

She looked at me with a face that said don't-tell-me-what-to-do. "Come on, let's go."

After a few minutes of driving, we reached our destination. We were parked in a building and I followed her across the street.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To view a piece of art," she smirked as she pulled me towards another building. But this time, we weren't going _into_ the building. We were going _behind_ it.

"Whoa," I was dumbstruck with the extraordinary scene in front of me. "This is..."

"Welcome to the world of art, Fredenstein," she placed her arms out and pointed at the walls as though they were exhibits. "Impressive, huh."

My face twisted into that of shock. The walls were painted with red, blue and purple, but the way she painted the walls was nothing like I've ever seen before. The blending of the colors was very unique, with the purple outlining the red and blue. Some yellow was used too, but it wasn't the bulk of the graffiti.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"It's amazing," I replied, still examining the work. "I can't believe it, did you do this?"

"Yup," she grinned with pride. "Too bad the cops caught me before I could make the finishing touches."

I turned to stare at her. "You what?"

"What? I wasn't gonna paint on a small canvas," she lamented.

"I wasn't talking about that," I replied. "What I meant was, were you arrested because you were vandalizing?"

She decided to change the topic. "Grab a can of spray paint. Let's finish this off."

I rolled my eyes and tried to convince her that what she did was wrong. But she cut me off by tossing a can towards me.

"Great, here's a blue one. It still has a little more paint before it runs on empty," she said. "There's a spot there. Just finish it off with the rest of the paint."

I nodded, walking towards the spot she was pointing at and sprayed the ink onto the wall. Although I felt guilty doing it, it felt relaxing... Like you're leaving all your worries behind on this wall instead of bottling them up in your heart.

"You know," she started. "This place is the only place I've ever felt such a strong connection to."

"What about the iCarly set? Or Carly's apartment?" I asked.

"Sure, I like them too, but..." she hesitated. "Whenever I have an argument with Carly, I wouldn't be able to just barge into her apartment like that. And the only place where I can seek comfort is here, where my mind will be at rest."

I smiled. Through what she said, I realized something.

Sam's not always a tough person. She can be strong on the inside, but when she's emotionally hurt, there are always times when she needs to cool it off too, you know? And this is the only place where her heart will no longer hurt, where she will be just another ordinary girl, where she'll be just... Sam.

Amidst the silence and the fizzing sounds from the spray cans, I thought I heard the sound of water dripping somewhere. I turned around and scanned my surroundings for any sources of water, but I couldn't find anything. And that's when I realized – Sam was crying.

It wasn't an ordinary cry. It was more like soft sobs that would make your heart wrench at the sound of it or make you want to put your arms around her and make her feel better again.

"Sam, you okay?" Bad move.

She collapsed onto the ground, still conscious, but hurting. The can of paint slipped out of her hands as she stared blankly into space. Tears still stroke her cheeks, but she was expressionless. Motionless. Speechless.

"Sam, tell me what's wrong," I bent down so that I would be on the same level as her.

Silence.

"Is it about Griffin again?" I asked.

Silence.

"Come on, talk to me."

"Leave me alone," she said in a low-pitched voice. It wasn't a request. It was a command.

"Sam, if you need a friend, you know you can always call me," I stated. "I'll always be there for-"

She shut her eye lids. "Leave. Now."

"What's wrong with you, Sam?" I decided to take on the offensive. "You've been shutting us out for the entire day! All we want to know is what you actually think. You're being really selfish and cowardly, Sam. I never knew Sam Puckett was such a coward!"

"Quiet!" she yelled. "All I wanted was someone who would understand me. Who would like me for the way I am."

"Sam, I thought we had a conversation about this last night," I said softly. "You're different from others, Sam. You act differently because you think differently. But under that tough exterior of yours, you are just like a normal teenager. You get hurt sometimes, but you'll always have to learn to get over it."

She punched me. Hard.

"OW! What was that for?" I asked.

"You were being a Freddie," she got her humor back. She punched me again, but I dodged it.

"Haha! You missed! I can't believe you actua-" I was interrupted by another fist coming my way. This time, it was aiming for my stomach. "Oof..."

She giggled. "Got'cha."

I looked at my watch. It was getting pretty late. I had to get back home before curfew. So, I decided to bring Sam home first before I return to Bushwell Plaza.

"It's late. We probably should head home," I stated.

"Yeah," she replied.

As I walked back to the building where my car was parked, I heard a mumble from behind. I turned around to face the blonde.

"Thanks, Fredcake," she smiled awkwardly as she gave me a little hug.

"No problem," I replied.

Before I knew it, she gave me another wedgie. Just like old times. Only more painful.


	8. iGive My Thanks

Freddie's POV

I woke up on- wait, I'm in Sam's room.

WHAT? I'M IN SAM'S ROOM?

"What happened!" I yelled.

"Will you quit the yelling and just keep it down? I'm trying to do some actual housework here," Pam Puckett opened the door and closed it again. How can she be so calm about this? I'm in her daughter's room! Can't she seem more concerned?

I decided to make a reality check.

1) Am I clothed?  
Check.  
2) Am I not dreaming?  
I pinched my arm and felt a stinging pain.  
3) Is Sam around me?  
I searched the room. Nope, she's no where to be found.  
4) Do I remember what happened last night?

Hmm...

I do remember one thing though. Sam was feeling really down while we were vandalizing the walls. She called it 'painting your artistic talent on a bigger canvas', but I preferred to call it 'grafitti on a wall'. We were heading home after that, but I could tell that her feelings were still drowning in the pool of tears.

"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked, walking down the streets with her.

"That is the 39th time you've asked me that question," she groaned. "Is that all you can say?"

"No," I replied. "But are you sure you'll be safe like this? You're a good prey for many-"

She cut me off with a finger upon my lip. "Firstly, I can fight better than most of the people out there. I can easily bring you down with just a lift of my finger. Secondly, I am not a prey. Sam Puckett _is _the predator."

"Yes, my lady," I returned sarcastically. "Why not I drive you home?"

"For the last time," she had this really peeved look on her face. "I WILL BE FINE. Now, stop being such a downer and go home, Benson. Before your mom thinks _you're _the prey."

So, we continued our little debate about bringing her home, until she finally caved it.

"Alright, alright," she surrendered. "You can drive me home. But only on one condition."

"What condition?" I asked.

"You're going to leave the moment I'm 'safe' in my house," she stated. "Okay?"

I chuckled. "Sure." I was gonna say 'I didn't want to stay in your house anyway', but since her mood wasn't so good for any jokes and teases, I decided to lay off.

But once we reached our destination, things happened differently from the way we thought it would be.

"Sam?" we heard a voice from behind us. "Is that you?"

"Griffin?" she confirmed. It was dark out, we couldn't really see anything. Griffin was seated at the Puckett's front porch, but it was poorly lit. I guess Pam couldn't afford better lighting than this. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize," he stood up from his seat to approach us. "But I see that you've got someone to comfort you."

She scoffed. "Just spill it, Griffin."

"I'm dating your best friend," he started. "I know that you knew that on the night itself, but I just wanted to make sure that you don't misunderstand."

"Misunderstand what?" she asked. Her tone turned from pure curiosity and hope to hostile breaths. "That you already had plans to dump me on Valentine's?"

"No," he replied, clearly trying to explain. "I didn't mean to dump you on that special day, but I hope that you understand it wasn't Carly's fault."

Sam rolled her eyes. "You're just afraid that I'll come set your PeeWee Babies on fire for my next prank."

"That is... true..." he confessed. "But I really hope that you won't hate Carly for this. She's been really down because you wouldn't pick up her calls or see her. I really hate to see Carly like this."

He dumped Sam and now he's asking her not to hurt his girlfriend? Although it was really sweet to find that he cares for his girlfriend, but he's just not worth Sam's tears. She was really upset about this, but he didn't seem to care for her feelings at all.

I felt like punching this dude, but Sam held me back by placing an arm in front of me, indicating that she didn't want any 'outsiders' to interfere.

"Don't worry about Carls," she said calmly. "I'll talk to her tomorrow. It's getting late. You should go home."

"Thanks, Sam," he walked away, limping. I guess the turtle bite hindered his movements. "I'm glad you're cool with this."

"Me too," she mumbled, too soft for him to hear, but just loud enough for me. "Come on, let's go in."

I snickered, accepting her offer and totally forgotten about the one 'condition' I was supposed to obey.

I remembered following her to her bedroom to make sure she's okay. She seemed really affected by Griffin's sudden appearance. Even though she doesn't really show it, something in me tells me that she's not herself.

"I can't believe this," I said. "He actually came to look for you after the incident like nothing's happened. The nerve of some people..."

Silence.

"You're gonna talk to Carly tomorrow, right?" I asked.

Silence.

"Hello..." I called out to the quiet soul who just crept into bed. "I'm right here, you know?"

"Go away," the spirit has finally spoken.

"I thought you just invited me into your house," I stated.

Her body tilted to the other side where her face is not visible to me. "My words aren't meant to be taken seriously."

"Right," I replied. "I should have known that by now, shouldn't I?"

"Just go," she mumbled.

"Okay," I said, switching the lights off. "Good night."

"Wait!" she stood up suddenly. "Switch them on."

I raised my eyebrow. "Why?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to laugh?" I asked.

"Well, if you promise not to harass me for the next few weeks, I'll probab-" I was cut off.

"Promise!" she snapped. "Cross your heart."

I felt intimidated and decided to do just that. "So... what's your little secret?"

"I... I'm... I'm afraid of the dark..." she looked down at her fingers as she crossed them. "If you ever tell anyone, I swear I'll-"

"Don't worry," I smirked. "I won't."

There was an awkward silence, the light was still switched off.

"Does Carly know about it?" I asked.

"About what?" she looked at me.

"You know..." I avoided speaking of it. "Your fear?"

She smiled. "I guess you're the only one besides my family who knows about it."

I smirked. "Okay."

"Now, switch the lights back on," she commanded.

"Why not I help you get rid of that fear of yours?" I offered. It was a bad idea, but my mind wasn't thinking straight. All I was thinking of was to help Sam.

"How?" she asked.

I took a chair and placed it next to her bed. I took a seat. "Like this."

"You're gonna stay here for the rest of the night?" she seemed confused.

"Yup," I agreed.

"What about your crazy old mother?" she asked. Although I felt a little offended by that remark, I was kind of used to her 'Sam-talk'. "She's gonna freak if you don't return home before your curfew."

I pulled out my phone and shook it gently in the air. "I'll just text her."

"Will that even work?" she doubted.

"We'll see," I worked on my plan immediately.

Within seconds, my text was returned.

"See?" I showed her the text. "She's totally cool with it."

"Why?" she turned back to her fingers.

"I don't know. She just seems to like you more than she likes Carly," I replied.

She frowned. "No, I meant why are you helping me?"

"Well... That's a good question," I said. "Honestly, I don't know either. I guess a part of me says 'Go help her, she's your friend' while the other part says 'Stay away, she may hurt you'."

We broke into laughter.

"Thanks," she said.

I snickered. "You know, you've been saying that alot since yesterday."

"I know," she replied. "But another one or two times wouldn't hurt, would it?"

For the rest of the night, I watched her fall asleep. Well, that is until I fell asleep too...

"Hey Benson," Sam walked into the room. "Had a good night's sleep?"

I sat up straight, knowing that nothing bad happened. "Yeah, thanks."

"Regarding your question last night..." she said awarkwardly. "I called Carly."

"You did?" I stood up. "That's great! What did she say?"

"Erm... Maybe you want to find out yourself," she gestured out the door to the former girl of my dreams.

Carly Shay.


	9. iJoin a Competition

Sam's POV

We were seated on my couch around a small coffee table. My mom bought it a few years ago when my dad was still around. It was her pride and joy and she always kept it neat and tidy so that she could flaunt its perfection to any house guests. But the weird thing is, we never placed anything on it. Which totally wasted its talent.

"So, what did you guys talk about behind my back?" Fredbag asked.

"Well, we were talking about how sorry we were," Carly started. "Then, we started arguing about why we never did iCarly in her apartment even though it was so neat."

"She never saw my bedroom, I can't blame her for that," I stated.

Fredqueer laughed. "Yeah, you should go up and see that before you make any judgements."

"So, what happened in the past few days?" she asked. "Like, what did you guys do without me? I see Freddie has decided to be a little rebellious here."

"What? No!" he explained. "She was feeling down last night, so I decided to stay for a while to make sure she's okay. Besides, I asked my mom about it."

I was surprised he didn't mention anything about my fear of the dark. I guess he really keeps it when he makes a promise.

"Calm down, Freddie," Carly giggled. "I was just kidding."

We had some little chit-chats until my mom came over to the couch and switched on the television so she could watch the reruns of 'Celebrities Underwater'. She missed it last night because she was out with her new boyfriend. This time, he was a parole officer.

An advertisement came on.

"Hey, it's the dating competition," Carly exclaimed.

"What dating competition?" Fredgoof and I asked simultaneously, with my mom eyeing us suspiciously before returning to her programme.

"It's something like a game where players come together and they pair you up into totally random pairs, then they make you date each other for three weeks. Throughout the dating process, they would film it down and post it on the web for the world to vote for the best couple," she explained.

I frowned. "Wouldn't that be like stalking?"

"Kinda," she continued. "But it'll just be for three weeks. The most popular couple will win fifteen thousand dollars cash and a trip to Paris!"

"Wow, fifteen thousand dollars? I can buy hundreds of PearPads with those!" Frednerd exclaimed.

"Nyeh... It's just a few thousand dollars," I remarked.

The three of them turned their heads toward me.

"Okay, the prize money is really attractive," I gave in. "Please tell me you guys aren't going to join the competition. Who knows what type of weird random person you guys are going to be paired up with."

"Don't worry, Sam," Carly explained further. "Participants will have to undergo a careful selection process before they can actually play the game. Besides, they will also pair you up according to your results for the compatibility test.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Carls. What do you mean by 'you'? I'm not going to take part in this."

"Yes you are," my mom kept her eyes at the plasma screen while still talking to me. "You're going to get your mom some cash."

"Why don't you go for it?" I asked her.

"I'm over the age limit," she stated simply. "It states there that only kids aged 16 to 25 can take part in the game. Too bad I'm over by one year."

I let out a laugh. "Yeah... One year..."

She glared at me with the signature Puckett glare, before returning back to 'Celebrities Underwater' again.

"Fine, I'll go for it, but it's only for the prize money. Not so that those guys can just hook me up or something."

"That's great! We'll go for the selection test together tomorrow morning," Carly hugged me and Fredjuice. "Let's meet at Bushwell Plaza at eight, okay?"

"Wait, you're going for it too?" Fredcrunch asked. "I thought you were dating Griffin."

I cringed a little at the sound of 'whom-shall-not-be-named'.

She smiled. "I didn't say I was going to join the competition. I just wanted to go with you guys for the selection test, so that I can prepare you guys for the worst situation."

Freddie's POV

"Are you guys ready?" Carly asked.

We have been waiting outside the audition room for an hour and the queue seemed to be stretching longer and longer. Sam had already fallen asleep after waiting for ten minutes. But luckily, the wait is about to be over as we were next in the queue.

"Yup, we're ready," we replied.

"Okay, just remember, if they start asking about your-" she was cut off by a guy holding a clipboard and a wireless microphone. He seems to be one of the coordinators.

"Erm... Next... Fredward Benson," he called.

I raised my hand. "Here."

Then, his eyes widened and his jaws almost dropped. "Oh. My. God. It's the iCarly gang! My kids _love_ your show. Come on in!"

"Don't we have to go in one at a time?" I asked.

"Nope, you guys are special," he winked, which caused us to shudder.

"Wow, and to think that this is the worst situation we can ever get close enough to," Sam remarked.

We were led into a room, where we assumed we were supposed to be interviewed through 'careful selection'. But I guess that wasn't the case for us.

"Carly! Sam! Freddie!" one of the judges came up to us to deliver a hug. "I'm guessing you guys are taking part in the competition!"

"No, I'm not taking part, I already have a boyfriend," Carly explained. "I'm just here to give my support to Sam and Freddie."

"Oh," he smiled. "That's great too. But why not I offer you and your boyfriend on the show. I'll pair the both of you together."

Her eyes widened at the thought of being on TV. "Really? That would be great! Thanks!"

"You're welcome!" he smiled that creepy smile of his again. "Hmm... How about this, I let all of you join the competition without an interview. I think I know you guys just enough!"

"But why would you do that?" I asked.

"Well, nothing! Nothing at all!" he lied.

Sam pushed me aside and gave him a glare. "What's your game? Spill it."

"Oh, alright," he caved in. "You guys are really popular on the internet. If the three of you take part in the competition, our show would really gain a lot of viewership. So..."

"Okay," Carly smiled and answered for us. "Thanks for the offer. We really appreciate it."

"No problem! This is just a business tactic," he grinned. "Besides, it's a win-win situation. Don't you worry about the pairing too. I'll make sure that it's satisfactory."

Sam reinforced her Puckett glare. "You better."

He gulped, but still maintaining his smile.

Well, I sure hope that I dont get some weird random girl as a partner. I sure don't want to be paired up with someone like Magic Malika or something...


	10. iKnow It Won't Be the Same

Sam's POV

"How could you do that?" I asked, horrified at the results of the pairings. "I demand a re-test!"

"I'm sorry, my dear," the creepy judge guy apologized. "I can't do that."

"But we didn't even take any compatibility tests or anything, how can you just pair us up just like that?" Fredlame asked. "We want a fair competition, not some rigged game!"

The judge sighed. "But your friend, Carly, she wanted her and her boyfriend to be paired together. So I assumed that the both of you would want to be paired together as well."

"Watch it, old man," I narrowed my eyes as I threatened him. "If you don't give us a real compatibility test and get us paired up fairly, you bet you're going to be eating maggots tomorrow."

He gulped. "Okay, okay. I'll just give you the test. Here, complete it and hand it in to me."

"You're going to have to promise that it would be fair," Fredlimb said in a less threatening way than me, but it still worked. "Or we will definitely talk about the rigged competition and you can forget about sky-high ratings. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," he replied.

The both of us left the director's office and sat down at the couch in the waiting room. We were given a pencil and the test paper and we were invigilated by one of the female judges.

"If that creepy judge guy wasn't the director of the company, I would have squashed him first," I exclaimed.

"Well, at least he did promise to pair us up fairly this time," Fredly said.

"But seriously, why am I even doing this test?" I asked. "All these questions are so stupid. I mean, look at question number 2: 'What do you look for in an ideal mate?' Come on, this seems more like those personality quizzes that we find on the internet."

He laughed. "Yeah, look at question number 3: 'What would you do if your mom brought home a bucket of sanitizers?' My mom does that everyday, what difference would it make?"

"If it was me, I would have ambushed that lady who dressed up as my mom and broke into my house even though my stuff are worth nothing," I giggled. "Oh, hey, look at number..."

"Which one? Come on, Sam, don't just leave your words hanging there on a stick," Fredpus said.

Then we realized something.

Question 9: What if you and your best friend kissed?

We looked at each other for a split second, before returning back to the test awkwardly.

"So, how's it going?" Carly walked through the doors. "I see that they've surrendered to your requests."

"Carls! What are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought you were on a date with Griffin. How'd he take the news?"

"He was cool with it," she replied. "Actually, he was really excited when I told him about it. He always wanted to go on TV. Especially reality TV shows."

We laughed.

"Are you done with your test?" the invigilator asked, seeming impatient.

I handed my paper to her as Fudgeface handed it in.

The invigilator grinned as she reviewed our test results. "This is going to be interesting."

Freddie's POV

After a while of waiting (okay, it was more than a while), Sam and I were summoned back into the director's office. This seemed serious.

"How are the results?" Sam asked. "Who are our new partners?"

"I'm sorry, kids," he smiled awkwardly. "From the test results, you guys seem perfect for each other."

"What? Why?" the both of us asked simultaneously.

He let out a laugh. "See what I mean?"

"This can't be possible," Sam seemed really unhappy. "The compatibility test is rigged, right?"

"Well, I wish it were rigged too, but we really did do our best when computing the results," he replied. "Okay, look at your answers for each of the question. They are entirely the opposite."

We looked at the computer monitor as he explained.

"For the first question, it states here, 'What would you do if your best friend is hurt?" he started. "For Sam, your answer was 'I will beat the crap out of the guy responsible' and for Freddie, your answer was 'I will first make sure that my best friend is okay'. The answers are a complete mismatch. They were both the extremes of the answer spectrum."

Sam looked confused. "Can you repeat that in English?"

"Okay," he explained. "The both of your answers are very different. One is extremely violent while the other is extremely comforting. And what happens when two extremes come together?"

"They neutralize?" I asked.

"Bingo!" he released his clenched fists in the sky as though they were fireworks. "So, you guys get it now?"

I blushed a little, but it wasn't really that obvious.

"Oh, come on, guys," he grinned. "No need for the awkward moments. You guys are going on air as a couple to win the cash prize! Isn't that exciting?"

"Yeah, right. The cash prize," I stammered. "I almost forgot."

"That's the spirit, now go enjoy yourselves kids!" he pushed us out of the room. "Be prepared for the filming next week! See you!"

We were in silence as we walked out of the director's office. We stole glances at each other to see our reactions. But it was awkward nonetheless ever since the news was smacked against our faces.

"How did it go? Who are your new partners?" Carly asked enthusiastically when we met her back in the waiting room.

"We got each other again," I replied. "They said that we were-"

"They had to give in to the Seddiers," Sam interrupted me. "Since the iCarly gang was going on TV, they had to appeal to the masses. And apparently, Seddiers make up the most of the iCarly fandom."

I kept quiet.

"Oh, so the test was of no use, then?" Carly asked.

"Not really," Sam replied. "It was used for archiving."

Sam shot me a glare that said something like 'Reveal it and you'll wake up in a coffin tomorrow'.

Once I caught that glare, I pretended the everything Sam said happened, even though we both knew the truth.

_I will never date Sam, and Sam would never date me._

I remember telling that to George the Bra once. I can't believe this is happening. But it's for the cash prize, and the test is probably rigged anyway. They just don't want us to find out about their laziness. It was just an excuse for them to put us together again, right?

_Carly will never love you._

I laughed at what Sam used to tell me whenever I was hitting on her best friend. Sure, I was smitten then, but now, it's all fuzzy. Sam can't possibly like me, right?

"A penny for your thoughts?" Carly asked.

"Oh, nothing," I replied. "Just thinking about the filming next week. It's gonna be really hard pretending to be a couple with Sam."

"Yeah, I guess you can say that since you guys have been like best friends forever, right?" she teased.

I looked at her as I remembered what I said two years ago.

_That **thing **is not my friend._

"I guess you can say that," I replied.

I glanced over at Sam who was fast asleep after waking up early in the morning to come here and take a test, only to realize that things would have to remain the same.

But I know that things will never be the same.


	11. iAm Not Some Daffodil

Sam's POV

"Ugh... I hate this dress," I lamented. "Must I wear this?"

"Of course! It's your first date!" Carly exclaimed, still brushing her hair happily.

"How many times must I repeat myself? Fredpunch and I are just doing this just to get it over with," I groaned. "We are _not _going on a date!"

She rolled her eyes as she turned towards me from her plasma TV mirror. "Admit it."

"Admit what?" I asked.

"That you like Freddie too," she grinned. "I can tell from the way you he looks at you. He likes you. And you like him too. Remember the time when-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Did you just get knocked down by a truck or something? Because last time I remember, Fredweird saved your life," I stated. "He loves you, Carly. It's not too late to break up with Griffin and return to your pathetic little admirer, you know?"

She frowned and grinned at the same time, making this creepy face as she looked at me. "You know you love him."

"Arghh... I give up!" I threw my hands up in the air. "This is going no where. I'm going downstairs."

"You love the Fredster," she mocked.

"La la la la, I can't hear you," I plugged my ears with my fingers.

As I walked down the stairs, I could smell the sweet aroma of bacon and soon, my nose led me to a meat paradise.

"Whoa!" I gasped. "What's all this meat doing here?"

"I'm building a meat sculpture," Spencer replied as he piled up clusters of meat onto a platform. "It's for an art competition."

I picked up a piece of bacon from the sculpture and munched on it while sitting on the kitchen table. "Why don't you use raw meat for it?"

He stared. "Raw meat is-"

"Hey! Are you ready for the double date?" Carly came down the stairs, finally ready.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," I said as I hopped off the kitchen table and grabbed a box of bacon. "Okay, I'm ready."

She smiled as she grabbed her purse and opened the door. "Bye Spencer!"

"Bye Spence," I bade farewell as he stared at my box. "Thanks for the lunch."

"But I didn't even-" his voice was cut off by the door closing behind us.

"So, where're we going?" I asked, still munching on heaven.

She sighed. "Didn't you read the text?"

"What text?" I asked.

"I thought I sent you a text telling you about the event details?" she placed her arms on her hips after pressing the elevator button. "Where's your phone?"

"I threw it against my bedroom wall," I stated.

She frowned. "Why?"

"It just kept ringing!" I exclaimed.

She sighed. "Okay, let's just forget it. We're running late."

"You haven't told me where we're going yet," I said as we exited the elevator to see a sleeping Lewbert with his hands in tuna salad. "When are we getting him again? I mean, it's been long since he's been pranked on iCarly."

"True, but we can talk about this later," she said, taking away the box of bacon from my hands and putting it beside Lewbert's tuna salad. "The boys are waiting for us. Come on, let's go!"

She pulled me outside to find that there was a limo parked on the streets just in front of us.

"What's up with the fancy pantsy?" I asked.

Two boys in tuxedos came out of the car in style. They actually looked kinda hot... if they weren't Griffin and Fredwad. "Hey ladies," Griffin came over to give Carly a hug. "Are you girls excited?"

"No," I snapped. "This is ridiculous. You guys came here in a limo and expect us to get in there? Do you want to attract unnecessary attention?"

"I thought it would be a grand entrance to the game," Frediffer explained.

"What do you think I am? Some kind of daffodil? I'm not Carly, I don't care about these grand entrances. All I want to do is to win this game, get my bacon and we can all go back to our normal lives."

Carly came over to me. "Sam, why can't you just take the limo with us?"

"Forget it, I'm taking the bus," I stomped off, with their confused eyes on me.

Stupid date. Stupid competition. Stupid dress. Why do I have to wear this anyway? It's hard to kick butt with this frilly thing around my thighs. I can't even run fast in these heels. And it hurts too.

"What are you looking at?" I glared at an old man on the bus stop. He had been staring at me since I started to mumble to myself.

He looked away intimidated.

"Oh man, Carly never told me where we were going for the date!" I mentally cursed myself for not grilling her when I had the chance. "I guess I should be going home then. So much for 'the first date'."

I heard a chuckle behind me.

Frowning and annoyed by whoever had the guts to laugh at Sam Puckett during her demise. "Who are you laugh-"

"You have no idea how cute you look when you're cursing at the wind," the Queen of the Jerks laughed.

I blushed a little, but tried to hide it with a forceful punch.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked.

"Why did you come here?" I inquired. "To laugh?"

"I thought you might want someone to accompany you on your little trip," he said, grimacing at the pain as he rubbed his arm. "Besides, Carly told me that you lost your phone."

_Yeah, to the bedroom wall, _I thought.

A bus arrived at the stop. "Come on, let's go."

He pulled me up the bus, but I was reluctant. "Where are we going? Carly never told me, aren't you telling me at all?" I asked.

He kept quiet.

"What am I? Some kind of spy? Why don't you guys want to tell me anything?"

"We just want it to be a surprise," he explained. "Now, come on, the bus is going to leave."

I rolled my eyes and gave in. This 'surprise' better be worth it.


	12. iFeel Nothing, Nothing At All

Freddie's POV

The moment we got on the bus, eyes were on us. I wouldn't blame them. Who would take a bus dressing so formally?

"What are you looking at?" Sam glared as she threatened her with her fist.

The girl giggled. "I knew the both of you would end up together."

Sam withdrew her fist, speechless. I tugged her over to two empty seats on the bus and let her sit first. But, unexpectedly, she placed her purse on the other seat, leaving me standing beside her.

I grinned as I whispered in her ear, "What about the competition?"

She rolled her eyes and, with no other choice, removed her purse from the seat and let me sit beside her.

The bus journey was long. It would take about half an hour before we could get there. At about ten minutes after we got on the bus, Sam fell asleep. Her head was bobbling the entire jouney as she took her nap. She kind of looked like the Doctor Bobblehead my mom gave me on my 12th birthday to remind me to have a check-up at the doctors at least twice a month. Yeah, she's that extreme.

As she slept in an uncomfortable position, I pushed her head against my shoulder so she would lean against me. I could feel many pairs of eyes at me. Argh... The competition is worth the sacrifice.

Sam's POV

I was sleeping in an awkward position, even though I was only half awake. My head was keeping me from a deep slumber because of its constant bobbling. But after a while of discomfort, I finally found myself leaning against something comfortable and warm. And soon, I fell asleep.

"_What if Carly isn't the one that I love?" a familiar voice rang._

"_It would take a miracle for you to deny your 'undying love' for the brunette!" I snapped, not amused nor affected by what he said._

"_They say that miracles happen," he rebutted my comments. "And I believe one has already surprised us."_

_I looked closely at his face, trying to make out who exactly he is. I seemed so sure, but so lost at the same time. But underneath those feelings, I felt something more. Something that made me comfortable. Something that told me that 'this is right'._

"_Sam, you know that this is a pointless argument. No matter how many times I've told you that I loved you, you just shrug it away," he explained. "It's not puppy love anymore, Sam. It's something more."_

"_Stop," I requested, even though I really wanted him to continue. But I knew that I would be deceiving myself if I fell for it again. "If this is for the cameras, I'm sure they're gone now."_

_I turned around, so that my back was facing him and started walking briskly towards the door._

"_Sam, no. Sam. Sam!" the voice tried to call me back, but I felt the tears on my face, trickling down my cheek, warning me that if I ever turn back, things would never be the same._

_I ran. I just ran._

"_Sam!"_

"Sam...? Sam, wake up!" The voice became clearer and clearer. "Sam, we're here!"

I woke up to find that I had been leaning against Fudgeface's shoulder. "What? What's happening?"

"We're here," he repeated.

I remembered having a dream. And before that, I was at... a bus stop. Then I met Fredjerk, and then we went up the bus. Earlier before that, we were going to... oh yeah. We were going for our date. I mean, fake date. For the competition.

"Right... right," I blushed, thinking about the dream. Who was that guy anyway? Well, from what I know from the dream, he used to like Carly. But then, he started liking me. Wait, what? What am I saying? No one would ever like me.

Right?

"Where are we, anyway?" I asked, looking around for signs of our location. Then, my eyes caught sight of a restaurant right in front of me. "Oh, my... This is..."

"Yep," he nodded. "It's the Bacon Plaza."

"This place is really posh! Can we actually afford the food here?" I asked.

He whispered in my ear. "Don't worry, the production team gave us an extra wad of cash to make sure that everything looks romantic enough for the show."

That's it? It was all for the sake of the show? "Oh, of course," I replied, giving him a fake smile.

"So, you like it?" he grinned.

"I love it!" I made a huge gesture which was Melanie-like and less 'Sam' than I would do, just to exaggerate a little so he wouldn't think that I was affected by his actions. "This is great! Just like I had always dreamed of!"

Yeah, as if.

"Great! We can go in then!" he put his arm over my shoulder and we strolled into the restaurant. I hope that what I did was captured nicely on tape for the show. The camera crew was probably waiting in the restaurant to ambush us or something.

"Sam! Freddie!" Carly came walking towards us and pulling us into the restaurant to speed us up. "You guys are finally here! You have no idea how long we were waiting for you!"

"Is the camera crew in there?" I asked.

She turned back to check, then returned to the conversation. "Yeah, they are still filming. They've already been here an hour before we reached so that they could 'set-up the area' for us. We don't even need to do a single thing! They've got everything planned out."

"So, this 'surprise' wasn't planned by the guys at all?" I confirmed.

"Nope," Fredgamer replied. "We're just puppets. We just have to do something romantic for you guys, which will be caught on camera and raise the show ratings. It's all part of the production team's plans."

Disappointment got the better of me. I have no idea how, or why, but I just felt this pinch of disappointment in me when I learned about this 'plan'. I just thought that the guys were really sweet to do up such a surprise for us. And the production team just _had _to ruin the part.

I entered the restaurant and it was empty. Like, really empty. There were only two tables at the side, each with only two seats; perfect for the four of us.

The empty area in the center of the restaurant was perfect for dancing. I could picture the iCarly crew holding a 'Random Dancing' party in here, with all our friends from Ridgeway. We would have a whale of a time in here.

At the front of the room, the place where my eyes had set upon the moment I entered the room, there was a live band. No, not Cuttlefish or any other rock band, but a live band with violins, cellos, drums and a keyboard. It was obvious that the production team spent a lot of effort in the planning.

"Wow," I gasped.

"I know, right?" Carly exclaimed. "I was really surprised too when I saw all of this. It came as a 'whoa' for me."

But something didn't feel right. Sure, the romantic atmosphere was there, the food here was great, but something else was missing. My feelings.

"This just doesn't feel right," I mumbled.

"Huh?" Fredbeans seemed to have heard me.

"Oh, nothing," I pretended. "Nothing at all."

Yeah, I felt nothing. Nothing at all.

**A/N: Hey peeps. I realize that this is the only active story I have that people actually read. May I know how many people who read this fic _also _read 'iAm the Stepsister 2'. Can you guys go to my profile page and vote in the poll even if you don't read the story? I just need a rough gauge. Thanks, you guys!**


	13. iLied and iDeserve It

Freddie's POV

I lied. Just to protect myself, I lied.

True, the production team gave us a wad of cash for our dates. But we were the ones who planned it. They only sponsored the 'props', we were in charge of coming up with the ideas. Well, I was in charge of it, actually.

Griffin had been busy with his new collection of PeeWee Babies. He had to fly around to different countries to complete the latest 'limited edition' collection. He said that they were really rare and completing the collection would earn him a lot of 'personal achievements'. When I asked what they were, he simply wouldn't tell.

When I first learned that I was supposed to plan the entire thing by myself, I did a lot of research.

For the entire week, I had been reading my mom's romance novels and watching pointless soap operas. They were kind of helpful in that point of time and provided me with lots of new ideas which I thought I could do.

"What would Sam like?" I asked myself, countless times. The soap operas on TV made things seem so easy. Just bring them out on a date, give them a bunch of flowers and a cute card and it will make their day. That's what girls like.

"But Sam's no ordinary girl," I was talking to myself through the mirror, rejecting idea after idea. "I can't just please her with flowers."

"What if... Sam actually falls for me?"I laughed. We're talking about Sam here. The aggressive blonde who keeps giving you names and throwing punches at you whenever she likes it. She would never fall for me.

_Never is a strong word. _I remembered what George the Bra said to me while I was checking out the equipment. Sure, Sam has changed a little throughout the years, but the fact that she will never date me will never change.

"Why do you even care?" I asked and threw myself upon my bed, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. "So what if she never likes you? She always hated you. What difference would it make?"

But what if I'm the one who falls for Sam? No. No, that's never going to happen. We're sworn enemies! We fight, we argue, we insult each other with words! I will _never_, in my entire _life_, fall for Samantha Puckett!

_From the test results, you guys seem perfect for each other. _The director was just messing with our heads so that it would cover up the fact that he was lazy to compute our results. Yeah, that's probably it.

"What if I take her out on a date during the filming and tell her that the production team were the ones who planned it? That way, I can avoid any teasing from her and no one would know about it!" I lied to myself. But sometimes, the more you lie, the more you start to believe in your little tricks...

"Griffin, promise me that you won't tell anyone that I was the one who planned everything," I begged, tugging on his arms. "Please!"

"Okay, okay," he agreed. "But why would you want to lie to the girls anyway?"

I let go of his arms. "I just thought that it would be better if they thought the production team was behind it all."

"Dude, you're one weird kid," he pat my shoulder. "No wonder Sam calls you Fredweird."

I let out a laugh at his ability to link things up together. "But you'll still help me keep it a secret, right?"

"Sure," he said. "Anything for a friend."

"Thanks," I smiled.

So, on filming day, I lied.

"We're just puppets. We just have to do something romantic for you guys, which will be caught on camera and raise the show ratings. It's all part of the production team's plans," I stated.

In that moment, I thought I saw a look of disappointment on Sam's face. But I just shrugged it off. Maybe she was just putting on her 'default' face.

We had lunch while listening to the peaceful music that was prepared for us by the band. But Sam seemed uncomfortable throughout the entire thing.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," she continued munching on her food, but slowly. So slowly, it was totally unlikely of Sam Puckett to do that.

"Is there something wrong with the food? 'Cause if there is, we could always change the main course-" I was cut off.

She sighed. "The food's great, Benson. It's just... You know what, I don't think this is going to work."

"Huh?" I was confused by her remarks. "What do you mean?"

"I can't take this anymore. I can't be nice, Fredenstein," she continued. "We're not being 'us'. We're just trying to portray the 'perfect romantic couple'. It's been a long time since I insulted you, and frankly, I don't like this dress. It's suffocating me."

I laughed.

"What?" she seemed offended.

"You look cute when you're ranting," I lied. I mean, sure, she looks cute, but I only said this so that I could save the situation.

"Yeah, and I hate it when you compliment me," she frowned.

I whispered in her ears. "Don't worry, I'm just doing this for the camera."

"Well, that makes me hate this even more," she stood up from her seat. The cameras were still rolling, but the band stopped playing. Even Carly and Griffin had their heads turned towards us.

I grabbed her hand and she turned back. "Stay."

"What am I? Some kind of dog? Did you think that you could control me like that?" she looked at me with eyes of... sadness? Wait, Sam Puckett is crying.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, I'm sorry," her voice was now choked with every word she said. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. Things would have been easier if I never even met you."

And it was then that it struck me. There was no need to lie. Sam Puckett hated me. She did from the start and it would never change. No matter how I try to make things right, everything I did would be wrong. "Sam."

She could tell that I knew she was crying. Because the moment she broke free from my grasp, she used her hand to wipe her eyes dry and she started running. Away. Away from me.

I lied. Just to protect myself, I lied. And now, I've hurt another. This is all my fault.

Because I lied.

**A/N: Hey peeps. Thanks for your response. I have decided to remove 'iAm the Stepsister 2: Winning Hearts'. I saw no point in continuing since there was little response when I was updating. But if I've got more time to continue it, I will. **

**Meanwhile, I will keep the fic on till the end of May. And until then, you guys can go and read it and review on it. If I think that the story is worth continuing, I will continue it in June. But if I don't get enough responses, the story is gone from my fic list till I feel like writing it again. So, thanks for reading!**


	14. iAlready Did

Sam's POV

I couldn't take it anymore. I don't even know what I was thinking. Sure, the production team had planned it all, but why was I so bothered about it?

"Stay," he commanded.

What am I? His dog? I am a unique individual. I am abrasive, aggressive and I hurt people. Surely he knows that. Did he think that with all the cameras around I would just let it go like that? "What am I? Some kind of dog? Did you think that you could control me like that?"

Without even noticing, my eyes were wet. Are these... are these tears?

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, I'm sorry," I could take it no more. I could go crazy any minute. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. Things would have been easier if I never even met you."

I withdrew my hand from his with little force. I could tell he was dumbstruck. He just stood there, looking hurt and staring into my eyes as if he was asking me 'Do you really mean that'. But I didn't want to stay to explain anymore. I knew I would break down if I stayed.

So, I ran.

"Sam!"

As fast as I could.

I didn't care if the people on the streets were laughing at the trail of black eyeliner that was flowing down my cheek as I ran. I didn't care if it was raining around me. I didn't care if there was a truck coming right towards... me.

And then, everything was black.

I could only hear cries of my name. But they only belonged to one voice. The dishrag. Freddish Benson.

My eyes couldn't be open. It seemed as though they were forced tight by super glue.

But I wanted to open them. I wanted to know if I was right. If Fredmir really cared. If he actually liked me.

"_I wouldn't be able to imagine life without you," a girl – a brunette – said. "You know he wouldn't either."_

"_Who?" I asked the obvious._

"_You know who I'm talking about!" she teased. "He was there at the hospital the entire time you were unconscious. When the doctor told him that you might not live, he was almost devastated. He kept repeating 'It was my fault, it was my fault' even though we knew it wasn't."_

_I frowned. "So? That doesn't mean anything. He probably felt guilty about the thing anyway."_

"_You and I both know how he really feels," she poked me by the sides._

And then, my eyes fluttered open.

"Sam?" a male voice called. "You're awake! Carl-lay!"

I squinted my eyes to look closely at the man. It was just Spencer. "Oh, hey Spencer. How's it going?"

"Things are going great! I finished my meat sculpture and-" he was interrupted by Carly's entrance.

"Sam! You're awake!" she seemed really happy. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. I feel a little fuzzy about the whole thing. What happened?" I asked.

Her facial expressions changed. "Can't you remember?"

"I remember going on a date and feeling really uncomfortable... And then..."

"And then?" she urged me to continue.

"I can't remember the rest," I replied.

She seemed ampathetic. "Well, you were really angry for some reason and you ran out of the restaurant."

"So, I was knocked down by a vehicle after that?"

"Yeah," she replied. "And since then, the three of us have been taking shifts to take care of you."

"How long was I unconscious?" I asked.

She counted her fingers and replied. "Two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?" I jumped up in bed. "I was unconscious for two weeks? What about iCarly?"

"You don't have to worry about that. Freddie and I got that covered. You should be worrying about the TV competition," she stated.

"What would I have to worry about? I already quit the competition," I replied.

She smirked. "No, you didn't. You can't quit anyway. We signed the contract, remember?"

"What contract?" I was really confused.

"The form we signed for the competition stated that 'The participant will commit to all filming sessions. No participant shall quit the competition without a compensation.'" she recited. "Now, do you get it?"

"Yeah, I can't believe you memorised the contract," I exclaimed.

She frowned. "You're messing the point!"

"Chillax," I sat back down onto the bed. "Spencer's 72 hours of law school would wriggle me out of this."

"Sorry, Sam," Spencer stood behind Carly. "I can't help."

"Why not?" I asked.

He explained. "Freddie already asked me for help two weeks ago and I couldn't find any loopholes in the document."

"What? I thought you said that all legal documents had loopholes!"

"Not this one," he said. "It was drafted by professional legal document writers. I couldn't find even a single pore on this document!"

I sighed.

"Well, look on the bright side, Sam," Carly said. "At least you and Freddie are at the top of the game. There's no way you guys can get kicked out from the competition."

"But how?" I asked. "I was in the hospital for two whole weeks! I wasn't in any condition for filming!"

"That's not how the production team thinks," Spencer grinned.

I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Freddie had been taking care of you for the entire two weeks. Even if it wasn't his shift, he stayed by your side to make sure that you were okay. When you showed signs of awaking, he called for the nurse and left the moment they came to you. He was _that _afraid of letting you know he was around!" she was near to screaming by then. "And it's all because of what you said to him that day!"

"I didn't know the boy would get all sensitive," I frowned, amazed at why Carly would make it seem like it was all my fault.

"He didn't. You made him sensitive," she said. "Even when he had a crush on me, he was never too bothered by what I said. And look at you now. You just wished that you never met him and now he is too ashamed to even see you!"

I was silent. I didn't know how to respond.

"Sam, he cared for you. He wanted the entire competition to end because you want it that way. He thought you guys could return to being friends. To the way you guys used to be," she toned down. "He was afraid you were still mad at him. The moment he learned that you had regained consciousness, he ran away. Like the road runner from the coyote, except that he cared about your feelings."

"Where is he?" I asked. "I've got to talk to him."

"We don't know yet," Spencer replied. "He didn't tell us anything."

I sighed. "Well, if you guys ever know where he is, tell me. I want to settle this thing before anyone gets hurt."

"Too late," Carly said. "He already is."

**A/N: Wow. Two chapters in one day? I hope this pleases you guys :D Thanks for reading!**


	15. iAm Psychic

Freddie's POV

I stood on the outside of the hospital ward, waiting patiently for any signs of Sam's consciousness. Two weeks have passed since that day. Two weeks of guilt. Two weeks in deep thought.

"_When will she wake up, doctor?" I asked._

"_We don't know. The impact of the accident caused a severe concussion. There is only a 20% chance of her regaining consciousness. Even if she awakes, we cannot guarantee full recovery," he gave me a serious face. "We will just have to wait. Only time will tell."_

_With that, the doctor walked away with his nurses behind him._

"_Why did I lie to her?" I started sobbing. "I should have just told her the truth. She wouldn't run away from me then and everything would be fine."_

"_Oh, Freddie," Carly comforted me. "She'll be okay. You heard what the doctor said, right? She'll come to."_

"_How can you be so optimistic?" I asked. "I know I can't. I caused her to run away from me. She ran and got into an accident. It was all my fault!"_

_Spencer came running towards us. "How's Sam?"_

_Carly shook her head._

"_Oh..." he got the message. "Cheer up, Freddo. She'll be fine."_

_All I did was sob. If Sam could see this, she would mock me. And I wished she could see this._

"Carl-lay!" I heard Spencer's voice from the ward. I ran to the window to catch a glimpse of Sam. She was awake!

I woke Carly up from her slumber. She had been camping outside the ward with me. "What? Sam's awale?" She jumped from her seat, ready to burst in, before I stopped her.

"I'll be going off first," I said.

"Don't you want to know how Sam's doing?" she asked.

"I'm content to know that she's awoken," I replied.

She nodded and entered the room. I left.

I was walking out on the streets with a crumpled shirt that mom brought for me when she knew I was going to camp at the hospital. I checked my phone. Seven missed calls. Five from my mom and the rest from the director.

I decided to return the call.

"Hello? Is this the director?" I asked.

"Yes, who is this speaking?" he sounded tired.

"This is Freddie Benson," I replied. "You left a few missed calls on my phone. I just thought I should call back. Is anything wrong?"

I could hear him smirk from the other end of the line. "I just wanted to congratulate you on taking down the first two voting sessions as the most popular couple for the show. You guys are on the path to winning the game!"

I couldn't care less about the show now. "Yeah... That's... great news."

"How's Sam?" he asked.

"Oh, she's awoken. Carly and Spencer are with her now," I replied.

"What?" he yelled into the phone. "_You _should be the one by her side right now, not them! I'll inform the production team to head over there immediately."

I stopped him. "No, Mr. Director! Sam just woken up, we don't want her to be overwhelmed by the cameras!"

"So?" he asked. "We've been filming you by her side almost everyday while she was still unconscious. What difference would it make to film the both of you right now?"

"I only agreed to do that because we still had to take part in the competition. If it weren't because we were forced to continue, I wouldn't have allowed the camera crew to disturb her like that! Besides, there's still two more days before filming continues. I don't want her to be disturbed, okay?"

He paused for a while before continuing. "Okay, then. We'll come back only two days later. But this time, there _has _to be more action. I don't want to film fighting or anything. Plan something worth the take and I promise we would not disturb her. By the way, did I mention that the order of the votes can change any minute?"

"No, you didn't, but I understand what you're saying. I'll send the proposal to you tomorrow," I replied. "I hope you are a man of your word."

"Trust me, I am."

This time, I am not going to mess up. I'm going to make it up to her. Not because of the competition. But because she is worth it.

Sam's POV

"Ahh... Home sweet home," I inhaled the fresh air. "It feels good to be back here."

"You don't even live here," Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"I know!" I smiled excitedly. "Can you make me some eggs?"

He sighed, then put down my belongings and headed to the kitchen.

"I wouldn't be able to imagine life without you," Carly said, walking through the door. "You know he wouldn't either."

"Who?" This sounds a little too familiar...

"You know who I'm talking about!" she teased. "He was there at the hospital the entire time you were unconscious. When the doctor told him that you might not live, he was almost devastated. He kept repeating 'It was my fault, it was my fault' even though we knew it wasn't."

I frowned. "So? That doesn't mean anything. He probably felt guilty about the thing anyway."

"You and I both know how he really feels," she poked me by the sides, which I tried to dodge. This was starting to get a little uncomfortable. Haven't I seen this before?

"Don't start with me," I said as I grabbed a plate of ham from the top of the fridge. "Ahh... Good old ham."

"Are you gonna eat that?" she looked at my ham warily. "Hasn't that ham been there since-"

I finished her sentence for her. "Since momma left for 'the date'."

"Don't eat it!" she warned. "What if you get sick or those parasites infiltrate your body again?"

"Nah... it doesn't matter," I took a bite. "I'll just go to the hospital again and get them removed. How can I resist you, my best ham?"

She rolled her eyes. "If anything happens to you, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yes, mother," I stuck out my tongue.

As I ate, I remembered the dream I had yesterday. It seemed to have something similar to the conversation that Carly and I had. Could it be? Am I...

"Sam, come here." Carly was at the counter, looking at the computer screen.

"What?" I asked. "What could be so important that you have to stop my thought process?"

Spencer let out a laugh. I rolled my eyes.

"Have you seen the votes?" she asked.

"I just came back from the hospital, ya think?" I stated, mouth full of chewed ham.

"Since you were in the hospital for the last two weeks and there wasn't much 'action' from you guys, the votes dropped a little and now you guys are second," she exclaimed.

I raised my eyebrows. "Second to who?"

She laughed nervously. "Us?"

"Oh," I smiled. "It doesn't matter. You're my best friend. Once you get the prize money, you'll share it with me, right?"

"But Sam, don't you wanna win the entire sum instead of _sharing _it with me?" she asked.

"No," I frowned. "I don't even want to continue with this game show anyway. It's stupid and there's no point in this game. The only reason why I even continued was because Spencer couldn't find a loophole in the document."

She looked guilty, and so did Spencer, but he looked away once he found me suspecting something. "So, maybe you should go home first, just to make sure that your mom wouldn't be too worried about you running about after getting out of the hospital."

"Oh-kay..." I grabbed my stuff as she hurried me out. "Wait, can I have the eggs first?"

She took the plate of eggs and shoved it into my hands. "Here. You can have them. Bye!"

"But-" I tried to come up with some kind of excuse to stay. I hated going back home. It was like surrendering myself to a life of annoyance as my mom makes out with her new boyfriend downstairs.

"Bye!" she shoved me out of the door and locked it. I could have sworn I saw a look of relief from her face as she slammed the door shut.

Oh well, I guess I'll find out about it some other time. It's time for my ham and eggs.

Carly's POV

"Do you think we should tell her?" I asked Spencer.

"I don't know," he frowned.

"I think we should just keep it from her, you know?" I said nervously. "It's better for her to be oblivious to it. If she finds out that the contract we signed _did _have loopholes, she wouldn't participate in the competition anymore."

He smiled. "Okay. But we'll tell her someday."

"Of course," I replied. "After they win the competition."

He threw his hands in the air and expected me to high-five him. "Oh yeah!"


	16. iWill Never Let it Happen Again

Freddie's POV

"What did she say?" I asked intensely.

"She'll meet you later, don't worry," Carly reassured me. "Well, technically, she said 'Tell the dork to bring an axe so I can cut his body into bits', but it works nonetheless."

I gulped. "Okay..."

"Now, we just have to get you ready for the date," she chuckled. "But this time, we wouldn't want an exaggeration, right? We just want some classic Seddie dating time."

"What?" I asked.

"Haven't you heard?" she combed my hair into different hairdos, trying each one out. "The voters wanted you guys to act like Sam and Freddie, not like those actors on 'Celebrities Underwater'. You have to mean what you say."

I smiled. "Of course. This time, I'm sure about my feelings towards Sam."

"Sure, you are," she teased. "But make sure she knows that too."

"I will," I rehearsed the plan in my mind so that I'll remember what I wanted to do instead of fumble on tape. It wouldn't look good on national television, and it sure wouldn't leave much of a good impression on Sam. "What's that?"

"Your new hairdo," Carly gleamed. "Isn't it adorable?"

I frowned. "No, it makes me look like a..."

"A nerd?" she asked.

"Ugh... Never mind," I messed it up a little to add a bit of my own style. "Yup, that's more like it."

"I'm not sure if Sam would rather choose a dork or a hottie," she teased. "Besides, why did you ask me to help you make a new hairdo if you can do it yourself?"

I smirked. "I'll be off now."

"Remember to bring that axe!" she yelled after me.

"I'll find one on my way!" I laughed nervously, unsure if what Sam said was meant to be a joke, or was it for real. But either way, I can't wait to see her!

Sam's POV

What should I say? The cameras are already set up and most of the people at the Groovy Smoothie left the place. The worst thing is, the cameras have not even started recording and T-Bo has started asking for close-ups.

"Hi, I'm T-Bo," he introduced himself to the camera. "I'm a friend of Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson. Aren't they cute?"

"T-Bo..." I groaned menacingly and gave him a glare.

He backed off to his station.

"Sorry I'm late," Santa's little helper came along with a bag of bacon and a bouquet of waffles, just like what T-Bo made for Carly for her birthday last year. "I brought you a little something."

"Great," I rolled my eyes. "The dork has arrived with goodies. Momma was starting to get bored."

He smirked. _You better wipe that smirk off your face before I wipe it for you._

"Now, can we start?" I asked the camera crew.

"In 5... 4... 3... 2..." he gestured.

"This lunch's great," I tried to act normal, but I couldn't. "Thanks for bringing me here, Fred..."

He raised his eyebrows as I tried to cough out the last syllable.

"Thanks for bringing me here," I let it go.

"I'm glad you like it, Sam," he smiled. "Anyway, about our lunch the last time, I-"

"Let's not talk about it now," I forced out a smile. "I prefer immersing myself in meat before we speak about anything."

_Yeah, eat now, talk later. _Right now, I can't concentrate with all the cameras around. It's like that afternoon all over again.

Frednub stopped eating after a while and clapped his hands in the air as though he owned the place. And soon, T-Bo came over with a bouquet of daffodils and the dork started kneeling on the ground. If we weren't underage, I would have thought that he was going to propose to me. But thankfully, he wasn't.

"Will you forgive me?" he took over the bouquet and presented it to me with both hands. "I know I shouldn't have acted that way last time and I'm really sorry. I love you and I can't lose you. Will you please forgive me."

"Did I ever say that I was still mad at you?" I gave him a glare.

"Does this mean that you've forgiven me?" he looked at me with hopeful eyes.

I looked around my surroundings. I wanted to say 'no', but there were cameras around. "Yeah, I guess..."

He stood up and hugged me. It was strange why I didn't push him away, why I didn't slap him when we pulled apart and why I wasn't the one who initiated it. Maybe it's because he felt so... warm.

But then, he kissed me.

Fredward Benson kissed me. And I didn't stop it.

"And, that's a wrap!" the director yelled. "Great job, guys."

I was snapped back to reality. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Freducation asked.

"How can you just grab me like that and put your lips all over my face?" I asked, wiping my lips with much force and rubbing the dead cells onto Frederly's shirt.

"I thought you like it," he assumed. "Don't you?"

I was caught speechless, but I regained my composure after a few seconds. "Let's not talk about this."

"Why not?" he asked.

"How can you talk about it like it's no big deal?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he was obviously clueless.

By that time, the camera crew have already left the place. "How can you convince yourself that I'm 'the one' in front of the camera so readily when you're in love with Carly?"

"What if Carly isn't the one that I love?" he stepped closer.

"It would take a miracle for you to deny your 'undying love' for the brunette!" I snapped. Unwilling to give in.

"They say that miracles happen," he was grinning by then. "And I believe one has already surprised us."

This felt so familiar. All of it.

"Sam, you know that this is a pointless argument. No matter how many times I've told you that I loved you, you just shrug it away," he explained. "It's not puppy love anymore, Sam. It's something more."

"Stop," I commanded, even though everyone knew I really wanted him to continue. But I knew that I would be deceiving myself if I fell for it again. "If this is for the cameras, I'm sure they're gone now."

I turned around, so that my back was facing him and started walking briskly towards the door.

"Sam, no. Sam. Sam!" the voice tried to call me back, but I felt the tears on my face, trickling down my cheek, warning me that if I ever turn back, things would never be the same.

I ran. I just ran.

"Sam!" he yelled for me.

"_I would never date Sam Puckett," _I heard him that night. The night when he was confronted by George the Bra. The night my heart shattered into shambles, pieces that laid on the floor and got run over by big heavy trucks so there were no chances of piecing them back again. That night, all hope was lost. And this time, I'm not going to let the same happen again.

I'm not going to get my hopes up like that.

Never again.


	17. iNeed a Bath

Freddie's POV

"Sam!" I yelled.

She ran like the wind, again. It's like deja vu. I wanted to run after her, but T-Bo stopped me. "Let her go, it'll be better that way."

"Why do you think she acted like that?" I asked, sitting down at a nearby table.

"The girl likes you," he put on his 'I-am-smarter-than-you' face. "She just doesn't know how to face that. She's been broken once. You can't expect her to be brave enough to face this challenge again, can you?"

"What do you mean she's been broken once?"

He rolled his eyes. "You've been asking a _lot _of questions, mister. Go check out the video recording on the night of the dance."

I nodded and headed over to the video archive room, right behind the juicers in the store room. I searched for a while before I found a tape named 'Sam's misery on the night of the dance'. I wondered if Carly noticed that when she worked here while we redecorated her room.

T-Bo came over. "Found it?"

"Is this the one?" I asked as I handed it over to him.

"Play it back," he instructed after examining the tape.

I nodded and played it. There we were. Carly and I were doing a slow dance in the Groovy Smoothie. I remember that night. I thought she was the one; I always thought so. Oh, and there's Sam.

She entered the place and found us dancing there. She stopped in her tracks in realization, then backed away out of the place. Through the doors, I could see her face clearly. She was really unhappy. Or she could have been jealous.

"Oh my god," I exclaimed. "I never knew she was there that night."

"Of course," he made the 'it's-so-obvious' face. "You were too busy dancing with little miss perfect that you didn't even notice her. You _never _notice her."

"But I thought she had a date that night," I mumbled, giving myself excuses.

T-Bo seemed to have heard me. "Did you even bother to ask her about her date? Or even her life?"

I thought about it, before realizing how stupid I was. "Wait, how did you even know this?"

He shrugged and left.

I sat there, replaying the scene over and over again. Why does this have to happen when I finally know who I'm in love with?

Sam's POV

"Now, live on the internet..." Carly started. "We present to you, the shredding machine!"

"That's not very interesting," I made a face. "But, it will be after we place Freddo in it!"

He rolled his eyes behind the camera.

"Oh-kay!" Carly smiled. "Today, we're gonna use the shredding machine..."

"To shred five tubes of toothpaste," I presented the toothpaste in my right hand.

"Now, let's position the tubes..." she instructed.

I walked over to the shredder and the camera zoomed in to my face. "Kids, do not try this at home."

As we shredded the tubes of toothpaste, the contents were squeezed out, the different colors mixed together to form a rainbow sludge material.

"And this is the proper way..."

"To brush the grooves on the shredding machine," I finished Carly's sentence. "Remember to do it at least twice a day, folks!"

"That's it for tonight's show," Carly added.

I pouted. "MAH-MEE! It's OVER!"

She giggled. Well, we all did. "Till next time," she greeted.

"Eat plenty of rubber snakes," I said.

"And scream at the fruits!" Carly exclaimed.

"Bye!" I pressed the button on my blue remote and we all danced randomly.

Fredwad shook the camera around. "And... we're clear! Great job, guys!"

"I'm gonna get home," I announced. "Bye Carls."

"Bye, Sam," Carly greeted back as I was about to exit the studio. She raised an eyebrow as I didn't bother to greet Fredcrud at all. "Sam! Wait."

"Yeah?" I asked.

She folded her arms. "You didn't say 'bye' to Freddie."

I rolled my eyes, said "Bye, Carls," and exited.

She sighed.

Things have been going stranger than usual these days. Fredweird and I have been getting along only during iCarly rehearsals. And when I say 'getting along', I mean not acknowledging him even though he's around. Other than that, even ghosts could tell I've been avoiding him.

"Mom! I'm home!" I yelled into the empty and quiet apartment.

No reply.

"I guess you're not at home!" I yelled again, even though I knew that no one would hear me.

I made my way upstairs, dumping my bag on the ground where a pile of homework was waiting to be completed. But too bad for them, I am not in the mood to be doing homework. Since when was I?

I lay down on my bed, thinking through what happened the days before. Maybe I was too harsh on the dork. I mean, I turned him down a couple of times and ran away from him twice. I almost got myself killed the first time I did it, and he even blamed himself for the accident. Why couldn't I just admit it already?

"You like him," I saw my own reflection from the mirror beside me.

"What? No," I tried to deny it, even though I know I do.

"Then how do you explain all the unnecessary running?" my reflection asked.

I ran the thoughts through my head. "I was scared..."

"Of what? That he'll reject you?"

"Well..." I answered. "No one has actually liked me for who I am before, except for him and Pete. But Pete and I broke up one week after we went out. He dated a girl who was a full-time daffodil shortly wouldn't I be bummed about that? Maybe it's because of the fact that he said that he _didn't want to date a daffodil_!"

"But Freddie actually confessed to you," she tried to convince me. "Surely you can tell that he's serious about this, right?"

The more I talked to this reflection of mine, the more chills up my spince I get. It feels as though I was talking to Melanie, since it was so nice and girly and addressed Fredpunch by 'Freddie'.

"Maybe I don't want to be loved," I frowned. "Now, leave me alone!"

I threw my pillow at it and it toppled over. Then, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I addressed the stranger. "Who's that?"

"This is the creative department of 'Reality Romance' and we are here to inform you that there has been a change in game rules," a lady spoke on the other end.

"A change?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

The lady paused for a while before continuing. "You will be paired up with another boy for the next episode."

"And, who's that?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon," she said in a creepy, mysterious voice. "I'm just kidding about the tone. But seriously, you'll find out only on the day itself. Well, that's all. We'll see you on Sunday. Bye."

"Wait, you have to tell me who-" I was cut off.

I searched through my caller-id, but found that the dialer used a private number which I had no access to. If only Fredlumps was here, he would've hacked- What was I thinking? Ugh... I need a bath...


	18. iHave an Awkward Day

Sam's POV

Ugh... Another evening, another night of filming. What could the production team be thinking of? Who would I be paired with?

"Sam, are you ready yet?" Carly asked on the line.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there in a jiffy," I groaned, struggling to put on my dress. It was kind of tight. Did I put on weight? "Hey, prepare a ham sandwich for me, will ya?"

"No!" she yelled, making my ears hurt. "If you want a sandwich, you should get it yourself! Besides, we're meeting our new partners. You wouldn't want to look like you just put on weight, right?"

I stared at myself in the mirror. "I think I just did."

"What did you say?" she asked, clearly not hearing what I said.

"Nothing," I replied. "Can I talk to you later, I'm having a little trouble with my dress."

"Okay, fine," she sighed. "See you later, Sam!"

I smiled as I looked at myself in the mirror. "Bye."

I grabbed my heels from under the bed. If you've got a mother who chases after trucks carrying branded shoes so that she could get knocked down by them and receive a pair as compensation, you'd do the same.

I slipped the heels on and burst out of the small apartment after looking at my watch. "I'm going to be late!"

I hailed a cab and gave them directions to a spiffy hotel that my new partner introduced. Apparently, him and Carly's new partner were friends and they wanted to have a double date. Sounds familiar, huh.

"Nice dress!" the driver exclaimed.

"Yeah... thanks," I replied awkwardly.

I wondered if people would notice me even if I wasn't wearing a dress. But I shrugged off the thought as I heard a grumble from my stomach. I felt for my purse, then rummaged through to search for my emergency thigh.

"Where is it?" I searched. "Could I have left it at home?"

"Miss, we're here," the driver announced. "That'll be fourteen bucks."

"Okay," I reached for my wallet. "Here."

He counted the money and returned me some change. "Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever," I replied and left the cab.

"For a lady in a dress, you don't act like a princess," he shouted through the window.

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore his remarks and headed over for the grand ballroom, where the dinner was held. It reminded me of the night when I almost lost my life after running away from Fredgrease. Now that I think of it, how did our partners know that they got us anyway? Could the production team have told just the guys and left the girls clueless?

Oh, whatever. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm gonna be meeting up with them later, so there's no point in knowing who they are just five minutes away from seeing them. But I'm still gonna plan my revenge. Sooner or later, the production team is gonna get it.

I entered the elevator.

"May I know which floor you're heading to?" this elevator guy asked. He stood near the buttons so I couldn't do it on my own.

"Erm... the third floor," I replied.

He smiled. "Sure."

We were alone in the elevator with an awkward silence for at least five seconds, before the elevator slowed down to a stop with a 'bing'.

"Enjoy your evening," he bowed.

"Er... Okay," I did a little bow, before scrambling to the ballroom.

I saw Carly at the entrance, scanning the area for me. There weren't many people there, only about ten people were walking about. The rest were seated, I guess.

"Carly!" I called.

"Sam!" she saw me. "What took you so long?"

"Hey, did you see this creepy dude in the elevator?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"There was this dude in uniform who pressed the elevator buttons for me. It was really weird how he bowed when I exited," I replied.

"Oh, you mean _that _guy," she laughed. "He works here."

"Oh..." I remembered that one of my teachers mentioned these types of guys before. But I guess I never really paid much attention in class. "Well, let's go in then."

She smiled. "The boys are already waiting in there. Let's check your hair."

"What? My hair?" I asked. "There's nothing wrong with my hair!"

"Oh really?" she picked up a bird's feather from one of my blonde locks and put it in front of my eyes. "Nothing wrong?"

"It's just a feather!" I exclaimed.

She smiled. "Come on, let's go in before the boys call 911."

"Do you know who they are?" I asked.

"Well," she started. "Let's just say that it'll surprise you."

We entered the grand ballroom, where there were tables laid at the sides of the room and a red carpet was laid in front of us.

"Are you sure we're not at the right place?" I asked, looking at the crowd that had their eyes on us. "This looks weird..."

"Don't worry," she waved. "Just smile and wave."

I frowned. "Oh-kay..."

I forced a smile and started waving awkwardly. I started to scan the room for cameras, for our entrance was too grand and it would be too wasteful if the cameras didn't catch that. And then, I spotted two guys sitting at the table right in the front. And there they were.

Freddish and Pete.

"What are _they _doing here?" I asked.

Carly grinned. "Sam, let me introduce you to your new partner – Pete."

"Wait, what?" I confirmed. "Freddish is with you?"

"Yup," she nodded, still smiling.

"Then what about Griffin?"

She smiled, her eyes narrowed. "He had to leave the competition temporarily."

"Why?"

"He had to go overseas to grab some limited edition PeeWee Babies before they went out of stock," she explained.

"Is Pete replacing Griffin?"

She pulled me over to the table. "Temporarily. Once Griffin returns, Pete will go on with his normal life. Now, let's get over there and go on with the show!"

"Hi Sam," Pete greeted awkwardly. "How's it going?"

"Things have been... fine," I replied. "Soooo fine..."


	19. iAm Determined

Freddie's POV

I just wanted her to be happy. They always said that love is forgiving and full of sacrifices. If she wasn't willing to forgive me, I would be willing to sacrifice myself for her.

"I want to quit the competition," I stated firmly.

"What?" the director frowned. "You can't do that! Unless if you're willing to pay twice the prize money as compensation and get a replacement."

"I already have a replacement," I gestured to the door which flung open, revealing the boy. "Meet Pete."

The director did not seem pleased. "What about the prize money?"

"I'll pay you by installments," I replied.

Just then, the door that was close just a few seconds ago burst open, this time to reveal Griffin. It seems as though it was an ex-boyfriend gathering. Except that I was never one of them.

"Director, I would like to apply for urgent leave," he gasped for breath, panting.

"Leave?" the director asked. "What can be so important for you to ask for leave?"

"I have to er... visit my grandmother. She is in the hospital," he replied, still panting. "I have to go. Really."

The director grinned. "What about a replacement?"

"What replacement?" Griffin asked.

"If you want to leave the competition, you would have to find a replacement, even if it's just for a while," he smiled.

Griffin, being the act-now-think-later dude, pointed at Pete. "He'll be my replacement."

"Oh no," the director shook his head. "He's Mr. Benson's replacement. Mr. Benson has decided to leave the competition and Mr. Pete Peterson here is his replacement. I'm sorry but you'll have to find another boy to replace you if you were to take leave."

Griffin came over to me and whispered in my ear. "Freddie, I really need to take a leave here. Will you please let me have Pete as a replacement? Please?"

I sighed, looking at his pitiful face and back at the director, I gave in. "Oh, all right."

"Mr. Director, Pete will be replacing me. Freddie has decided not to quit," Griffin grinned.

"But only on one condition," I stated. "You will change the rules of the game."

"How?" the director asked.

I frowned and gave him a serious look. "For the next few episodes, Carly and Sam would switch partners for the game. So, Pete will partner up with Sam and I will go with Carly."

Griffin frowned. "What?"

I whispered in his ear. "Don't worry. I won't make any moves on Carly."

He did not seem convinced.

"I promise. Besides, you're a good friend of mine. I would never betray you. I love Sam, not Carly," it was my turn to beg. "Please?"

He nodded as I turned back to the director.

"Okay, Mr. Benson," the director said. "But this will only take place for the next few episodes of the show. I would not want your ideas to kill the ratings or reduce the viewership."

"Don't worry, director," I replied. "Not only will my idea not kill the ratings, it will increase the viewership. Trust me. The iCarly fans would love this."

"It better be," he said/

I learned that Sam still had feelings for Pete after they broke up two years ago. Pete was regretful for breaking up too, so I thought it would make them happier if they were back together.

"Hey Griffin, will you send your grandmother some greetings on my behalf?" I asked.

"Nah, she's fine," he replied. "Actually, I took the leave to buy the limited edition PeeWee Babies in England. Did you know that they have Prince William and Kate Middleton PeeWee Babies to celebrate the royal wedding? I just _have _to get them!"

"Right..." I smiled awkwardly as Griffin reached for his phone while it rang and jolted him with its sudden vibration.

Oh well, as long as Sam's happy, I'm happy.

**Sam's POV**

I am _so _unhappy.

Just a few seconds ago, Pete and I were dancing on the dance floor. And do you know what happened? He kissed me. Right on the lips. But that's not the worst part.

He told me that he still loved me.

What did I do? Or should I say, what _could_I do? Cameras were flashing everywhere. It was like a paparazzi ambush when he smooched me. I looked at Carly and Freddweeb, who were busy dancing and laughing. Sometimes, I wondered if they could have been secretly dating behind Griffin and my back.

"Do you love me back?" he asked hopefully.

"I... I..." I was stuttering. I couldn't reject him in front of the cameras, and I certainly couldn't accept him. What could I do?

Then, one of the waitors came over. "Hey, Pete? Is that you?"

"Phil?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm working here part-time," the waitor replied. "Whoa... Is that your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, we're in the middle of filming for a competition," he said.

The waitor looked guilty. "Sorry, man."

"It's okay, maybe we can chat some other time," he smiled. "See you again next time, Phil."

"You know you'll see me," the waitor grinned.

"So," Pete turned back to me. "Where were we?"

I smiled. "Let's get back to our table, shall we? I'm hungry."

"Sure," he seemed disappointed. "I can't let my princess's stomach go growling, can I?"

I frowned, back facing him. "Right... Er... Pete? Can you sit there and wait for a while? I have something that I want to speak to Carly about."

"Sure," he grinned. "Whatever you say, my princess."

I nearly puked with that comment. I walked over to Carly, dragging her away from Fredpus before they start to lean in and kiss.

"Carls, we need to talk," I stated. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"This swap! It's creeping me out!" I replied. "Pete just kissed me and told me that he loved me! If it weren't for the random waitor who butted in, I would have had to declare my 'love' for him on national TV!"

She smiled. "Chill, Sam. I thought you still loved Pete?"

"NO! I admit that I had feelings for him before, but they have all died out since I started dating Griffin. Speaking of Griffin, aren't you afraid that he might find out about your little stunt with Freddie?"

"What stunt?" she asked.

"I don't know, maybe it was the way you were looking into his eyes or the way you looked as though _you were about to KISS HIM_?" I spoke louder. "Carly, you _have _a boyfriend!"

She frowned and gave me this sinister look. "But that doesn't mean I can't kiss Freddie. We're all participating in the competition, Sam. And this competition is not just about all of us. Now, it's about me and you."

"What?" I frowned.

"You heard me," she grinned. "The truth is, Griffin and I broke up a few days ago. I realized that he had always loved his PeeWee Babies more than me. So, I dumped him. And, since Freddie was always there to comfort me and help me get myself back on to my feet, I figured it was for the better that we date."

"You what?" I was nearly shouting.

She narrowed her eyes. "We're going to have a little competition, Sam. It's now me against you. Until Freddie and you are officially a couple, he is _mine_."

"No, you're not Carly. Carly will never do this to her best friend," I stated.

"Well, get over it. The old Carly Shay is gone," she pushed me aside and headed for Fudgeface. She slid her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder, grinning at me.

I know I have fierce competition, since Fudgeface used to have a crush on her. But now, I am determined to win.


	20. iHave a Fear

Sam's POV

"Carly's not in love with you," I tried to explain to him.

"Of course she's not," he replied. "She's just saying that because we were on national TV. Didn't you hear the rules? The 2 best couples after being split and regrouped will compete against each other in the final round. Carly had to pretend to be in love with me for the 'acting round'."

"Listen, whatever she told you, she meant it," I put on my desperate face. "For real. After Pete kissed me last night, she told me that she was going to fight for you. Can't you see? She's serious!"

He frowned. "Wait, Pete kissed you?"

"Yeah, and it was the worst moment in my life," I replied. "Ugh... You're messing the point! Carly wants to have you back. And it's going to be the taco truck incident all over again, except that you didn't save her life and she just wants to win."

"Well, at least _some_body likes me," he stated. "And is willing to admit it. Maybe I like her back. Maybe I want to be with her. Maybe she's the one that I need to make my life complete."

I frowned. "You know what? Just... forget it."

"What?" he stopped me from walking away. "You don't think you can come find me a blabber about Carly's 'evil-doings' and then walk away, do you?" He made sure that he put air quotes around 'evil-doings'.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"How do you really feel?" he walked closer towards me.

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Have you ever liked me?" he paraphrased his question.

I hesitated a little, I'll admit it. But Sam Puckett never backs down so easily. What if I make a wrong move and everything changes? I can't risk losing anyone. I can't let him know that I'm afraid. I can't show fear. "I... I..."

"Let me show you the answer," with that, he pressed his lips against mine. And I felt something explode. Not something physical, but something psychological. And at that moment, I realized – I love Fredward Benson.

I love Fredward Benson. That was unexpected.

But the more I say it in my mind, the more I liked the idea. _I love Fredward Benson_. And the best thing is, he loves me back.

We broke apart after a few minutes. And he initiated it, not me. I just stood there, dumbfounded.

"So," he rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "I just did it again, didn't I?"

I stayed silent, staring blankly into space.

I thought he took my silence as a rejection, because the next moment I knew, he was hugging me and whispering into my ear. "I understand. We'll both go our separate ways and I promise that I'll never bother you again."

When he said the words 'separate ways', if I wasn't frozen, I could have broken down. I wanted to wrap my arms around him too, but with all those said and done. I knew that it wasn't time for me to do anything like that. I messed it all up. Even if I hugged him back, he would take it as a 'friendly' hug and not an 'I love you back' hug.

"Bye," he bade farewell, sadness in his eyes as he left.

I just stood there, not moving. Until I was sure that he had left the room, I could feel the heartbreak that he must have felt when he made the decision to leave me.

"I love you too," I whispered into the cold air. The breeze caressing my face and the light from the nearby lamppost beaming against my pale skin.

"Sam?" a voice came from behind me. "Who was that?"

And there was the person I least wanted to see.

**Carly's POV**

I hope they'll patch up. Was I too harsh that day?

"Hi Freddie!" I smiled as I spotted him down the corridor. "How's school today?"

"When did you turn into my mom?" he snapped, face turned away from me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

He searched his pockets to find the key to unlock the door. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine to me," I frowned. "Tell me what's wrong."

He turned around to face me. "What did you tell Sam?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She said that you were turning all evil and you broke up with Griffin," he explained. "When did that happen?"

"Sam told you that?" I pretended to be clueless. "Maybe she was jealous that you and I got paired together for the competition. I can tell that she really likes you."

He frowned. "That doesn't matter anymore."

"What happened, Freddie?" I softened my voice.

"I've decided to leave Sam alone," he replied. "Since she didn't respond when I kissed her just now, I figured that she must really hate me. So, I decided to give up on her."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" I yelled unconsciously, then repeated softly when I realized. "You can't do that! Maybe she's just afraid."

He chuckled. "Sam Puckett? Afraid?"

"Everyone has their own fears," I explained. "I freak out when I'm trapped in small spaces, Spencer is totally afraid of Chuck and Spanky, you're afraid of letting us know about your 'once-in-a-week' tic baths and Sam is-"

"Wait, how did you know about the tic baths?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "You're messing the point! What I'm trying to say is that everyone has to fear something. And so does Sam."

"Okay," he surrended. "So Sam has her fears too. But what can she possibly be afraid of?"

"She's afraid of losing you!" I blurted out. "She's afraid that you will freak out that she likes you and then everything would change!"

"What?" he was shocked. "Why would she be afraid about something like that? I already told her that I love her."

I frowned. "So? Do you think that telling her you love her in front of some reality TV show would make her feel comfortable about saying it back? She's been hiding her feelings and bottling them up so that none of us would find out about it. She's afraid of changes, Freddie. She's afraid that we'll leave her."

"But what can I do?" he asked with a defeated look.

"If I'm not wrong, she's ready to tell you that she likes you," I held his shoulders. "But you'll have to do something to make her feel comfortable to talk. Maybe I can keep Pete occupied for a while so you'll have enough time to show her that she can lower her defenses against you."

"Okay," he seemed to get it. "Thanks, Carls. You've been a really great friend."

I smiled. "Don't worry. Things are gonna be just fine."


	21. iDon't Know What to Say

Carly's POV

"Tell me frankly," I requested. "Am I too meddling?"

"Is 'meddling' an adjective?" Spencer questioned me back. I shot him a serious glare and he knew I was trying to be serious. "Okay, I think that as a good friend to Sam and Freddie, you're not too 'meddling'."

"Really?" I asked. "I mean, I was the one who forced them to take part in this dating competition. And after Sam almost got killed, I even kept the truth about the loopholes in the document from them. Worst of all, I made Sam feel all horrible after saying those mean things to her when we swopped partners. Am I a bad friend or what?"

Spencer turned away. "Well, you can't blame your acting skills."

"SPENCER!" I yelled, all agitated.

"Carly, come sit down here with me," he gestured to the couch, which he called it his 'discussion couch' since we held most of our family discussions there. "Look, you've been trying for ages to get those two together. I'll admit that last week's deal with the acting was a little too much, but other than that, you have been doing a great job."

I sighed. "I know, but-"

"When I was your age, I had two really good friends," he started. "They hated each other at first, but after a little pushing and a little fate and destiny, they ended up together."

"Then, what happened?" I asked.

"They broke up," he gave me his sad face. "But, that's not the point. It's the fact that we helped that made all the difference."

I smiled. "Thanks, Spencer."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Now can you be my sculpture's model?"

"No," I declined.

"But you said that after the talk, you'd be my model!" he sulked.

I frowned. "I didn't say that!"

"Yeah, you did!" he argued. "I was like 'Will you come help be a model?' and you were like 'Later'."

"But I said that because-"

"AH HAH!" he yelled. "You admitted you said it!"

I tried to defend myself. "Spencer!"

He ran into his room to grab his sculpture materials. "La la la la la, I can't hear you!"

Sigh, sometimes, I wonder if he's my younger brother or older brother.

Sam's POV

Things aren't gonna be easy. My best friend's gone bonkers, the dork just gave up on me and now, Pete's trying to get the fact that he still likes me into my head.

"What do you want, Pete?" I asked.

"You didn't answer my question," he replied. "Who was that?"

"Just a friend," I lied. He was more than a friend. But now, I'm pretty sure he would rather be friends with me for the rest of his life.

Pete frowned. "_Just _a friend? I thought I saw Freddie Benson kissing you. I guess you didn't want me to find out."

"It's none of your business, Pete," I snapped. "Now get out of here before I break your thumb."

"What do you mean it's 'none of my business'?" he asked as he approached. "You're my girl. If another boy lays a finger on you, it's my business."

"I'm not your girl," I frowned. "I'm no one's property."

He calmed down. "Okay, I'm sorry about breaking up with you that night. I know you saw me with Rebecca. But we've broken up now. And I still love you."

"I lost all feelings for you the moment I saw you dating that daffodil," I gritted my teeth.

"You're lying!" he grabbed my wrist. "Freddie told me that you still had feelings for me even weeks after the break up. That's why he wanted to quit thee competition and let me replace him. But too bad. Griffin came and asked _me _to replace him. That's why he's still in."

"What?" I relaxed myself. "Why did he do that? I thought there was no way we could quit the competition."

He smirked. "Carly lied. And do you know why she did that?"

I just stood there, before he continued.

"She wanted Freddie to herself," his grip around my arm tightened. "She knew that if you couldn't quit, Freddie would try to quit. And once she gets rid of Griffin, she would be able to have Freddie all to herself while you end up with me."

"No... That's not the way it's supposed to be. You're lying!" I yelled.

"Face it, Sam," he called. "The old Carly is gone. Your best friend is out against you, your partner turned his back against you. You have no one to rely on except for me. I will take care of you, Sam. I will make sure that you will never get hurt again."

I remember the times when we were young, I laughed at Melanie when she cried. I never understood why girls could be so emotional. Then, when it was finally my turn, I finally realized – we were never strong. And it's time to find someone you can rely on, someone who can protect you and swear that you'll never hurt again. But is Pete the one?

_I think of you and me as really close friends. _I remembered what Frediffer told me on my birthday a few years ago. He never knew that the only reason why I managed to smile everytime after I insult him with nicknames was because I was insulting him. He was the only one who could make me smile. But he was the one who made me feel the worst.

How can love and hate happen at the same time? I would never know.

"Sam, stay with me, please?" Pete pleaded.

"I... I..." I didn't know what to say. "I... I-"


	22. iLike Silhouettes

Sam's POV

"I... I..." my mind was in a whirl and I could tell that Pete was waiting for an answer. I don't blame him for his insistence that I be his girlfriend. I can't. He was confident that he could protect me, but I wasn't. Maybe it's because of the fact that I've never sparred with him before. "I..."

"Well?" he urged.

"I..." I continued with my stuttering.

He was getting impatient, and so was I. Why did he pick this time of day to confront me? No one would come out when everyone else was sleeping. Well, no one, but him.

"Be my girlfriend..." he pleaded again. "I will protect you from being hurt."

"How can you protect her from yourself?" Apparently, someone has been up late too.

"Who?" Pete asked, looking at the distant silhouette. I turned too, but I couldn't make out who it was.

He approached slowly, as though it was a movie. "She's hurting from your grasp. Let her go."

"Who are you to command me?" Pete frowned.

"I'm Freddie Benson," the silhouette announced. "And I command you to get your hands off of her!"

"She's not your girlfriend," he laughed.

Freddie's features were clearer now that he was near a lamp post. But why did he come back? I drove him away. "But she's my friend. And friends don't leave each other in the lurch."

"What if I don't?" he smirked.

"Then I'll make you," Freddie pushed me away from Pete and swung his fist into Pete's face. "Don't you ever bother her again."

Pete tried to retaliate, but he was no match for Freddifer. After years of constant training from momma, the boy has learned and improved. He sure didn't let momma down.

"Get him, Freddie!" I cheered with the little ounce of energy I had left.

In addition to my hunger, the struggle from Pete's grasp and the blows which he had given me time and again drained my energy like a toilet with just the push of a button.

"You were the one who asked me to replace you in the competition," Pete argued. "And now you think you can just make me quit again?"

"I asked you to replace me because I thought you would be nice to Sam, but apparently, I thought wrong," Freddie swung his arm over at his shin.

"I'll protect Sam from getting hurt," he tried to dodge, but got hit. "Ugh... But what can you do?"

Freddie was in a rage. "Even if you could protect Sam from getting hurt, why would she need your protection? She's much stronger than you, she can protect herself. What she needs is someone to listen to her, not someone to listen to!"

They were fighting on the streets. But it was in the late of the night, so no one was up. No one saw what happened. Freddie was winning, but Pete was resistant. No one was hurt badly yet, until Pete retrieved a broken branch from the ground and smashed it against Freddie's arm.

"AAAUUGGHH!" I could hear his cry in the calm night.

"Freddie! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked.

"Wow, what gave you that idea?" he said sarcastically as he grasped his hand in pain.

As soon as Pete realized what he had done, he left the weapon and attempted to flee from the scene.

"Stop there!" a voice was heard and a silhouette appeared in front of Pete. Why do mysterious people appear out of nowhere these days?

"Carly?" Pete almost stoped in his tracks, but after meeting the silhouette, he ran faster.

"I'm calling the cops," Carly came over. "Freddie, are you okay?"

Freddie's arm was bleeding and the wound was swollen. He grimaced in pain. "Ya think?"

Soon after, an ambulance came. Thank goodness there was a hospital nearby. But because of all the commotion, the people living nearby were all startled awake. Mrs Benson came over frantically after realizing that her son was missing.

"Freddie!" she cried. "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

"Pete took a broken branch and smashed it against his arm," Carly explained.

"Of course he did, dummy. How could he have hurt himself?" Mrs Benson snapped. "My Freddie boy..."

Freddie was still conscious, but he was losing energy and blood. Lots of blood. "I'm fine, mom."

"The ambulance is coming!" I yelled, noticing the siren and the red light which flashed in circles in the air. "Come on, everybody. Move!"

Freddie was carried into the ambulance with a stretcher and with oxygen mask tied to his head. "Sam..." He was nearly unconscious.

"Yeah?" I asked anxiously. I am usually cool and hard to mess with. I guess it was the lack of energy and the fatigue that made me really anxious. "I'm here."

I sat down on one of the sides of the ambulance, Carly sat down next to me. Mrs Benson was on the other side. The nurses and doctors forbid her to carry any medical equipment and stuff because they were afraid she would worsen Freddie's condition.

"If I don't make it," he breathed deeply. "I just want you to know..."

_Is he going to say those three words again? Right in front of them? _I was blushing, but I tried to hide it under a remark. "Come on, just spit it out already!"

"I was the one who ate the last piece of ham without you seeing it," he confessed. "I was really hungry and my mom was out at the Aggressive Parenting Conference, so I couldn't have dinner that early. Since my mom forbade me from having snacks with trans fat, I had no choice but to head over to Carly's."

"YOU WHAT?" I was about to kill him, the entire vehicle was shaking with my every move. But Carly stopped me before I made a blow.

"I'm sorry! I was really hungry!" he was coughing.

I calmed myself down. "It's okay, Sam. Everything is just fine. Let it go, Sam. You wouldn't want to go to juvie again since last time, right?"

Freddie heaved a sigh of relief from my withdrawal.

I realized that Carly was grabbing my arm the entire time. I took a glance at her, before I withdrew my hand from her grasp.

"Oh, come on, Sam," she pleaded. "Why are you behaving this way?"

"Because you're not my friend," I replied. "'The old Carly is gone', remember?"

"Okay, I'll admit it," she sighed. "I was acting when I said all those mean stuff to you."

I frowned. "Why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted you and Freddie to get together," she admitted. "You guys were both so stubborn about this. So I decided to make you confront him."

"You what?" Freddie asked softly.

"I'm sorry, okay?" she apologized. "But you can be sure that I'm not trying to steal Freddie away from you. We're all friends and I just want you to be happy. Will you guys forgive me?"

I leaned against the wall of the vehicle. "Well, if you promise not to do that again, yes."

"Sure," she smiled.

"It was really creepy," I stated.

"What?" she asked.

I explained. "You know, the stuff you did. 'The old Carly is gone'. It was really creeping me out."

"I know," she sighed. "My dad made me go through a lot of classes when I was young."

"Acting classes?" I asked.

"No, swimming classes," she said. "Of course they were acting classes!"

Well, at least we're all back together. Freddie was fine after days of physiotherapy and antibacterial spray. It turns out that Carly and Griffin never broke up at all. In fact, Griffin even got her one of those PeeWee Babies which was her favorite animal, a bunny.

"**What happened to Pete?" Freddie asked.**

"**I don't know," I smiled. "You'll have to read the epilogue to find out more."**

"**What if I don't want to read the epilogue?" he was starting to get on my nerves.**

**I smirked. "Then no Seddie for ya."**

"**Oh, come on," he pleaded. "Sam!"**


	23. iEnd the Story

Freddie's POV

"So, Mr Benson," the news reporter shoved the mike in my face. "What do you think about the loss of the competition?"

Yup, it's true. Sam and I lost the competition. But that doesn't mean that Carly and Griffin won it.

"I'm Freddie Benson," I can't believe I said that.

Sam covered my mouth with her palm. "Well, we believe that the duo from 'Exercise Rocks' really deserved it. They have a great chemistry and we give them our blessings."

Whoa... Sam's really... nice...

"But we would have won," she added. "If those two jokers didn't catapult their dumbbells at us while we were having our date in the-"

"Easy, Sam..." I cautioned her.

Yeah, I should have seen that coming.

"So, what are your thoughts about the show? Was it fun?" the news reporter was getting nervous. Well, I can't blame her after all, this was a live show.

"It was fun alright," Sam said sarcastically.

"We could go to many new places we've never been to," I explained. "Like, The Bacon Plaza..."

"They had awesome bacon there," she exclaimed. "Oh, and we went to this spiffy hotel. There was a _huge _ballroom."

I grinned. "Not only did we get to try new food, we also got to try new things."

"Yeah, like staying in a hospital," Sam started to get feisty again. "We did that twice! Once when I got hit by that car and another when the Exercise Rocks kids CATAPULTED DUMBBELLS AT US!"

"Calm down, Sam," I held her hand. "It wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that bad?" she asked. "We got hospitalized for THREE WHOLE WEEKS. And it's the BOTH of us. We couldn't film for those three weeks and we lost!"

The news reporter smiled nervously into the camera. "Well, that's it for this week's Illusional Reality. We'll see you next week. Good night!"

Sam was still mad about losing to the pair, but she was soon calmed down when I offered to bring her to the Groovy Smoothie's.

"You're paying, right?" she asked.

"You bet," I grinned.

We're still friends, as in, normal friends. Ever since the Pete incident, we never spoke of the confessions and stuff again. Well, I did try to ask her out, but she rejected me. So many times.

_- Flashback - _

"_Why not?" I asked._

"_I'm just not ready for this thing," she took the books out of her locker._

"_What do you have to be ready for?" I was puzzled._

_She frowned. "I'll have to quit giving you nicknames, punching you, slapping you..."_

"_Who said you'll have to quit that?" I grinned._

"_What?" she raised her eyebrows._

_I put my hands on her shoulders. "You can continue insulting me, punching me and assaulting me. You don't have to stop. Fighting is our thing, you know? We're different from others. And that's what makes our relationship special."_

_She laughed._

"_What's so funny?" I asked._

"_Geez, Benson. I never knew you were so cheesy," she giggled._

"_So, is that a yes?" I anticipated her answer._

_She hesitated. "No."_

_- End of Flashback -_

I didn't understand why she would reject me, even after we've been through so much. It's just difficult to undestand girls.

"So?" Sam broke the silence.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You've been silent for the past half an hour. What's up?" she sipped.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"Come on, just tell me," she insisted.

I sighed before giving in. "You know that guy... Pete?"

"The one who almost killed you and ran away like a bear with his pants on fire?" she asked.

"I was gonna say 'the one who landed me in hospital', but that works too," I sipped. "So, I was wondering... What happened to him? I mean, we didn't really hear anything about him ever since _that _incident, so..."

"He got hit by a truck and died," she sipped on her smoothie.

I was shocked. "He WHAT?"

"I was just kidding," she giggled. "He got caught by the police and sent to juvie."

"For how long?" I asked.

"I don't know," she grinned. "I'm not a parole officer!"

I couldn't help laughing. She just lifts my spirits, even if I'm in a bottomless pit.

"Where's Carly and Griffin?" she asked.

"They sent me a text a minute ago, saying that they'll be late," I replied. "It's a pity they got disqualified."

"Oh yeah," she agreed. "Griffin brought his PeeWee Babies on their last date and made Carly remember all their names. It's no wonder they got disqualified. The show was too boring."

I laughed.

"Hey Sam, hi Freddie!" Carly and Griffin entered.

"Hey, how did it go?" I asked.

"Good," Griffin smiled. "We got the part."

Sam frowned. "What part?"

"We were auditioning for the new movie 'The PeeWee Scandal'," Carly explained.

"I got the part for the main lead," Griffin boasted.

"Penny Penguin, right?" I asked.

Sam glared at me.

"What? I _used _to have PeeWee Babies when I was young," I sipped on my smoothie. "But, isn't Penny supposed to be a girl?"

"Oh, they wanted 'Penny' to be the short form for-"

"They just thought he was hot," Carly interrupted with 'jealousy' written all over her face.

Griffin looked down. "Yeah..."

We were in an awkward silence for a few seconds before Carly nudged Griffin and he stood up. "Err... I'm gonna go buy a smoothie. You guys want anything?"

"Can I get some fries?" Sam asked.

"Okay, that'll be two ninety," Griffin stuck out his hand.

"Who said I was gonna pay?" she smirked.

Carly smiled at him and he just walked over to the counter to order.

"Hey, I need to take a wazz," Sam put down her smoothie and headed over to the washroom.

"So, when's the wedding?" Carly teased.

"She rejected me three times in one week," I explained, since Carly was absent for the entire week to prepare for the auditions. "How can we have a wedding if we haven't even dated?"

Her smile was wiped off her face. "Well, make another move."

"I've already made many moves and all she said was 'I'm not ready for this thing'," I imitated Sam. "Maybe I shouldn't try to ask her out anymore."

"Why not?" she asked. "I can tell she's totally into you."

"But I can't," I sighed. "Sometimes, I just wish she would let me in... Not be so... guarded..."

She smiled. "I know what you can do."

"What?" I asked.

She whispered in my ear.

"No way!" I rejected her idea. "I'm _not _going to do something like that!"

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it's embarassing!" I replied.

She frowned. "Don't you want a nice girlfriend?"

I nodded.

"Then, do what I say and make a move!" she was practically yelling at me right now. Then, she calmed down. "I just want you guys to be happy."

I sighed. "Okay... But if she gets mad at me, I'll-"

"Hey, momma's back," Sam returned from her little bathroom break. "What were you guys chatting about?"

"Oh, nothing," Carly pretended.

Griffin came back too, which meant – Operation Action.

I smirked and pulled Sam out to the center of the room. "Hey, everyone!"

"What are you doing?" Sam whisper-yelled.

"I'm Freddie Benson and this is Sam Puckett," I introduced. "Most of you would probably recognize us from iCarly."

Everyone had their heads turned over to us, even the smooching couple at the dark corner of the room.

"Okay, I've been asking Sam out for a very long time," I started. "And she has been rejecting me many, many times."

There were 'aww...' noises and small chattering coming from the people.

"So, I was wondering if you guys would help me convince her to go out with me," I requested.

"Freducation, what are you doing?" she blushed, even though she tried so hard to conceal it.

"This is going to be good, I promise," I smirked.

The people were excited.

"Whoever agrees that Sam should totally go out with me, raise your hand," I raised mine. Carly and Griffin raised theirs too. Actually, their hands were the highest.

I counted the votes. It was practically everyone, except for the smooching couple who seemed rather wazzed that we interrupted them.

"Whoever disagrees that Sam should go out with me, raise your hand," I put down my hand and counted. Then, I realized Gibby was there. And he was one of the only ones who raised up his hand. "Err... Gibby? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just buying a smoothie for Tasha," he said calmly.

"Then, why did you raise your hand?" I asked.

He looked at Sam rather intimidatedly.

I noticed her glare. "Sam..."

"What?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, since most of you agree that Sam should go out with me, I have one last question. But this time, it's for Sam."

She raised her eyebrows. "For me?"

"Yeah," I grinned. "Will you go out with me?"

"I... No," she rejected me. In front of so many people. The crowd went 'aww...', as if they ordered an expensive pizza, then realized that it only had the crust. "Just kidding."

"YES!" my arms shot up in the air in a victorious manner. "Sam Puckett agreed to be my girlfriend!"

She laughed as I hugged her, embracing the moment of victory in love.

"I love you, Sam," I whispered in her ear.

"Well, I like you better than ham," she replied.

Even though she gave me such a lame and disappointing reply, I knew what she meant.

_'Oh, all you ever think about is ham.' 'I'd rather have a shirt made of ham.'_

"Hey, can you drive me home tonight? My mom's gone out with her new boyfriend, and I really don't want to walk down the streets with hobos staring down at me," she asked.

"Sure," I replied. "I will do anything for you."

And our lips collide.


End file.
